“Excellent presidency, very productive”: Brazilian FM hails Indian chairship for BRICS Summit 2026

New Delhi [India], September 11 (ANI): As dignitaries from more than 10 nations arrived in India to attend the BRICS summit 2026, Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Vieira on Friday hailed India’s chairship for the summit, saying that it is an “excellent presidency” with “very productive” things happening at the platform.
"Excellent presidency, very productive. We are very happy with this," the Brazilian FM said.
The Brazilian FM hailed BRICS as a platform for consolidating and connecting some of the world’s most dynamic and prosperous economies, saying it has become even more crucial when the world is threatened by ‘protectionism, economic coercion and unilateral sanctions’. 
“With its recent expansion, BRICS has consolidated itself as a platform for connecting some of the world's most dynamic and prosperous economies. At a time when the global economy is threatened by protectionism, economic coercion and unilateral sanctions, bringing our productive sectors closer together is more relevant than ever," the Brazilian FM said while addressing the Leaders' Session of BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi. 
Talking about the threat to global economic order, he highlighted how BRICS has brought together such influential economies, with member countries seeing a growth in contributing to the world’s GDP from 20% to more than 50%.
Talking about “economic coercion”, the Brazilian minister highlighted that “At a time when the global economy is threatened by protectionism, economic coercion and unilateral sanctions, bringing our productive sectors closer together is more relevant than ever."
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in the national capital on Friday, as the two leaders continued discussions on strengthening India-Iran ties and cooperation in multilateral forums.
This meeting came after both leaders addressed the BRICS Business Forum 2026 alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
PM Modi was seen holding hands and walking with Pezeshkian alongside the other leaders at the forum, underscoring solidarity among leaders of the expanded grouping as they discussed ways to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, innovation and global development. (ANI)