13th BRICS summit: PM Narendra Modi chairs meeting, leaders discuss Afghanistan, COVID-19 - in pics

"We discussed important regional and global issues. Thanked BRICS partners whose support helped India's chair achieve many firsts. BRICS agenda now spans culture and communications; sports and space; disaster resilience and digital health; employment and environment, and more," PM Modi tweeted. "Today we are an influential voice for emerging economies of the world. This platform has also been useful for focussing attention on the priories of the developing nations as well," he added. 

(Pic: ANI)

The meeting was attended by Brazil President Jair Bolsanaro, among four others. He praised the partnership maintained by India, China and Brazil in fighting the COVID pandemic. "The strategic partnership between Brazil and India is having an excellent moment. Our cooperation has advanced in areas such as science and technology, energy, and health, and above all in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic," Bolsonaro also said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the US and its allies for creating a "new crisis" in Afghanistan. "Russia, just like its BRICS partners, consistently supports the establishment of the long-awaited peace and stability in Afghanistan. The US and its allies' withdrawal from Afghanistan has led to a new crisis and it is still unclear how this will affect regional and global security," Putin said, adding "that is why it is for good reason that our countries have paid special attention to this issue."

(Pic: PTI)

The BRICS countries have become an important force on the international stage to be reckoned with, Chinese President Xi Jinping said, as he called for deepening cooperation among the member states to build a closer and more results-oriented partnership to meet common challenges. China will take over as the chair of BRICS and host the 14th BRICS summit next year, Xi said, adding that Beijing looks forward to working with the BRICS partners to deepen cooperation in all areas.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated his call for an equal access to COVID-19 vaccines, saying the coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on human life, livelihoods, economies and communities around the world. "We must continue to safeguard people's lives and livelihoods, support global economic recovery and enhance the resilience of all our public systems. We must ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics," he said.