NEW DELHI, September 14 — The BRICS summit hosted by India on 12–13 September concluded with the adoption of a 140-point declaration, according to a News.Az opinion article by Abulfaz Babazadeh citing the final declaration and an Indian government briefing. The document set out cooperation across politics, finance, technology and social policy, and leaders agreed common positions on several conflicts and economic issues, though many initiatives still require further development. This was India’s fourth time chairing the grouping, after 2012, 2016 and 2021.
Over that period BRICS has expanded considerably. Alongside its full members it now counts 10 partner countries, among them Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Vietnam, Malaysia and Nigeria.
The mechanism broadens opportunities for cooperation while keeping the distinction between partner status and full membership intact. Preparations ran to more than 400 events across 30 Indian cities, which is why the final declaration reads as the accumulated work of ministers, central banks, expert groups and business representatives rather than a single weekend’s drafting.
The economic weight, in numbers
Trade is where that weight shows most plainly. Speaking on 11 September, Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the grouping’s merchandise exports had risen from approximately $900 billion in 2003 to almost $6 trillion in 2024. Its share of global merchandise exports doubled over that period, approaching 24%.
Those figures cover exports to the global market, including buyers outside BRICS. Trade among these economies has also reached a substantial scale.
According to a UNCTAD study published in March 2026 covering 10 countries, intra-group merchandise exports totalled $1.17 trillion in 2024, more than 13 times their 2003 level. That reflects long-term trade growth among the economies studied, including periods before they joined the grouping. Dependence on trade with fellow members nevertheless varies considerably.
In 2024, Brazil, Russia and Indonesia sent more than 30% of their merchandise exports to BRICS countries. Iran, Ethiopia, Russia and India sourced more than 40% of their merchandise imports from those countries.
China remained the largest exporter and importer in intra-group trade. These differences help explain why a shared interest in expanding markets coexists with disagreements over market access and the distribution of benefits.
The Middle East test
The situation in the Middle East presented the summit’s main diplomatic challenge. Participants agreed to call for maximum restraint and the resolution of differences through diplomacy. According to Reuters, reaching a common position was complicated by the presence of Iran and the UAE within BRICS, given their differing relationships with Washington and the regional conflict’s impact on both countries.
Against the backdrop of renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran, achieving consensus became a politically significant outcome in its own right. The Indian Express reported that securing a compromise between the Iranian and Emirati sides required almost 100 hours of negotiations.
Indian diplomats received assistance from China, Russia, Brazil and Egypt. The account indicates how difficult collective decision-making has become within the expanded grouping: an international crisis now directly affects relations among its own members. For New Delhi, preserving a common position became one of the chairmanship’s most notable achievements.
What to watch next is whether the 140 points translate into implemented initiatives, and whether the partner-country tier — now 10 strong — is widened further or held where it is.
