PM Anwar to hold bilateral talks with Modi, Putin and other leaders at BRICS summit in New Delhi

# What happened

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit and is scheduled to hold confirmed bilateral meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He will also meet the presidents of Iran and Kazakhstan and the prime minister of Ethiopia while at the summit. Additional meetings may be arranged if timing permits.

# Why Malaysia is there

Malaysia is participating as a BRICS Partner Country. The summit, hosted by India, carries the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability" and focuses on economic cooperation, trade and investment reforms, and resilience in areas such as food security, energy and digital transformation.

Anwar, who is also finance minister, and will include the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani and Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan.

# What Malaysia aims to say and seek

Malaysia plans to push for a more inclusive, equitable and beneficial international system that elevates the voice of the Global South. The government describes this position as principled, balanced and pragmatic. On the economic side, BRICS is presented as a platform to explore trade, investment, technology, food security, energy and digital transformation opportunities.

BRICS's combined market size and economic weight are noted in Malaysian statements: the grouping covers about 3.88 billion people and a combined GDP of US$29.85 trillion, or roughly 27.1 percent of global GDP. Malaysian officials see potential in using BRICS connections to enhance member and partner countries' economic capabilities.

# Who Malaysia will meet (confirmed)

• Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
• Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
• Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran
• Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan
• Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia

The Malaysian chargé d'affaires and deputy high commissioner, Sharifah Ezneeda Wafa, confirmed these bilateral meetings to Malaysian media ahead of Anwar's arrival.

Expect discussion points to include trade and investment flows, technology and digital cooperation, and areas tied to resilience such as food security and energy. With the trade and investment minister and the human resources minister on the delegation, the Malaysian side is positioned to discuss investment promotion, trade ties and workforce or skills cooperation.

Additional outcomes could include memorandums of understanding, investment leads or commitments for follow-up working groups, but those depend on the meetings and their agendas.

# Context within Malaysia's foreign policy

Malaysia frames its participation as consistent with a balanced, pragmatic foreign policy that amplifies Global South concerns in multilateral forums. Attending as a partner country allows Malaysia to engage BRICS leaders directly without being a full member, aiming to secure economic and diplomatic benefits while projecting Malaysia's views on international governance.

# Immediate next steps

Anwar's confirmed meetings will take place on the sidelines of the summit. Media and official briefings after each bilateral are likely to report on any agreements, joint statements or follow-up actions. The presence of trade and investment ministers suggests any economic announcements will be coordinated across related ministries.

# Bottom line

The trip gives Malaysia direct access to several major leaders at a summit focused on economic cooperation. Malaysia's goals are practical: advance trade and investment ties, press for a stronger Global South voice, and explore BRICS-linked opportunities in technology, energy and food security.