Modi nuances foreign policy approach ahead of BRICS summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today nuanced his government's foreign policy approach seeking an aggressive Indian engagement on global issues to address regional crises and security threats for restoring global peace and stability while advancing economic stability.
Modi, who arrived here amidst light drizzle for an overnight halt en route to Brazil for participation in the sixth summit of the five-nation grouping BRICS, said in his departure statement in Delhi that he also hoped that negotiations at the summit would lead to establishment of the BRICS Development Bank.
Modi was received at the airport by Indian Ambassador to Germany Vijay Gokhale and senior officials from the German Foreign Ministry.

Berlin was preferred to Frankfurt for a transit halt on Germany's request for a possible bilateral meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel but their team's entry into the FIFA World Cup has rendered it a mere stopover for sleeping off jet lag.
Merkel is in Brazil to watch the World Cup final. Usually, Indian Prime Ministers transit through Frankfurt for further journeys across the Atlantic.
Modi's departure statement appeared to be giving a new thrust to India's foreign policy approach when he spoke of New Delhi's engagement on global issues.

"I look at the BRICS summit as an opportunity to discuss with BRICS Partners how we can contribute to international efforts to address regional crises, address security threats and restore a climate of peace and stability in the world.

"I also look forward to our discussions to further advance intra-BRICS economic cooperation and our collective efforts to advance global economic stability and prosperity. In particular, I look forward to the successful conclusion of major BRICS initiatives like the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, which have seen significant progress since their launch in New Delhi in 2012," Modi said.
"These initiatives will support growth and stability in BRICS and also benefit other developing countries," he said.
The BRICS Development Bank with an initial corpus of USD 100 billion was decided in principle at the Durban summit last year. India and China are said to be vying for getting the headquarters of the bank in New Delhi or Shanghai.

The summit on Wednesday is also expected to give a vigourous push to the need for reforms of the UN Security Council and the Bretton Woods institutions like IMF and the World Bank with greater say for emerging economies in them.
Preparing for his first multilateral engagement with world leaders, Modi said they were meeting at a time of political turmoil, conflict and humanitarian crisis in several parts of the world and persisting weakness and risks in the global economy.