Text of Prime Minister's statement to the media during his visit to Australia

Your Highness,
Excellencies,
Namaskar!

I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the extended family of BRICS.

Today, this hall brings together continents, cultures, and diverse development journeys. It is a testament to the growing strength, appeal, and unprecedented trust in BRICS.

Friends,

Under India’s Presidency, we have focused all our efforts on these four pillars: Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability. I am pleased that, with all your cooperation and support, we have been able to translate our shared vision into win-win cooperation.

Today, the number of conflicts and tensions in the world is continuously increasing, and this is having an increasingly negative and far-reaching impact on the lives of ordinary people.

Pandemics, climate disasters, and supply-chain disruptions have shown that in today’s interconnected world, no crisis remains confined to a single region. Therefore, within the BRICS group, we have placed special emphasis on strengthening Resilience. It is equally important to identify challenges in time, be prepared for them, and take prompt action.

With this approach, we have agreed on a BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for the prevention of and response to infectious diseases. Early Warning Data Integration Guidelines have been prepared for disaster management. The BRICS Logistics Supply Chain Cooperation Framework will help make our supply chains more reliable and resilient.

Friends,

Under Innovation, the BRICS Incubator Network will connect our start-ups and incubators with one another. To promote innovative and scalable solutions, we have proposed the BRICS Startup Innovation Fund.

The BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture will create new opportunities for farmers. Through this initiative, AI, geospatial technology, and Digital Public Infrastructure will be connected to the real needs of farmers.

The weaponization of technology and critical minerals can hinder our shared progress. Therefore, we have emphasised inclusivity in the adoption of technology.

Friends,

India has advanced friendship, partnership, and cooperation through the BRICS platform.

Our endeavour has been to ensure that BRICS cooperation does not remain limited to governments alone. We have sought to make our entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, women, youth, and ordinary citizens active participants in it.

Through BRICS CONNECT, we have promoted skills, employability, women in the workforce, social security, and capacity building.

To connect small enterprises with knowledge, finance, and new markets, we have initiated the BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal.

The BRICS Urban Mobility Hub has been established to facilitate the sharing of best practices among our cities.

Friends,

In Indian civilisation, nature has been accorded the status of a mother. For centuries, we have believed that development and the environment are not alternatives to each other, but are complementary. Within BRICS as well, we have emphasised the need to strike a balance between human development and the environment.

This is the foundation of Sustainability. It is also our responsibility towards future generations. In this direction, we have made progress on several fronts.

For Smart Grids and Energy Storage, we have established the BRICS Digital Centre of Excellence. This will help make our clean energy systems more reliable, efficient, and accessible.

The Centres of Excellence for Agro-Ecology and Regenerative Agriculture will connect traditional knowledge with modern science. The principles developed for community-based climate adaptation will make indigenous knowledge an important foundation for climate action.

Friends,

Building on these four pillars, through BRICS we have sought to promote inclusive global growth. We believe that the benefits of solutions developed within BRICS should not remain confined to BRICS alone. They should be made adaptable and accessible to meet the needs of the Global South.

Friends,

From my personal experience, I can say that the Global South countries’ confidence in BRICS has grown, because within BRICS:

Their voices are heard.
Their experiences are respected.
And solutions are developed not for them, but together with them.

The strength of BRICS lies in our diversity and cooperation.

We may be rooted in different realities, but together, we rise through cooperation, and blossom for humanity.

May our diversity remain our identity, our cooperation become our inspiration, and our progress serve the cause of all humanity.

Thank you very much.