Goa BRICS summit: India's agenda and possible deals

Defence deals with Russia will be in focus; PM Modi will reportedly take up India's NSG bid with China's Xi

India is hosting the BRICS summit at Goa this year and is likely to raise a series of key issues involving member nations Russia and China during the two-day event, scheduled to take place on October 15 and 16.

Foremost on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda, according to media reports, will be to discuss Russia and China's relations with its neighbouring country Pakistan, on whom India has levelled charges of sponsoring global terrorism.

India-Pakistan relations have sharply deteriorated ever since an Indian Army camp was attacked by a group of terrorists at Uri on September 18, with 20 soldiers being killed in the attack. India alleges that the attack was carried out by the Pakistani-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist organisation.    

Modi is thus most likely to pitch for increased military and defence co-operation with Russia, according to a NDTV report. The two leaders are expected to discuss various defence deals, including the  billion dollar Kamov-226 T helicopter deal that India has been eyeing to clinch, the report added. Apart from this, the report said that negotiations may involve India's bid to acquire five S-400 'Triumf' long-range air defence missile systems and upgraded models of the Sukhoi 30-MKI elite fighter jet.

India, perhaps, faces a greater challenge with China, which had recently said that the host country should not "politicise" the summit by trying to isolate another nation, Pakistan. Topping the issues to be discussed, according to a Financial Express report, is India's Nuclear Suppliers Group membership, which China has been continuously objecting to despite India's bid winning favour with the rest of the international community.

Chinese involvement in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is likely to be another bone of contention between the two countries, the report added.