New Delhi: In the backdrop of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 13th BRICS Summit on Thursday in virtual format. The theme for the Summit is ‘BRICS @ 15: Intra-BRICS cooperation for continuity, consolidation and consensus’.

In his opening remarks, PM Modi said, "We will have to ensure that BRICS yields more results in 15 years. The theme that has been chosen by India for its chairmanship, reflects this priority".

"Despite the COVID situation this year, over 150 BRICS meetings and events were organised. Of these, over 20 were ministerial-level. We tried to expand the BRICS agenda. BRICS achieved many firsts this year…Our Water Resources Ministers will meet in BRICS format for the first time in November," said PM Modi.

"We have also adopted BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan," said PM Modi hinting at the importance of regional security in the wake of the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in his remarks raised concern over the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US forces.

Putin said, "The withdrawal of US forces and its allies from Afghanistan has led to a new crisis, and it's still unclear how this will affect global and regional security. It is for good reason that our countries have paid special attention to this issue."

"Afghanistan should not become a threat to its neighbouring countries, a source of terrorism and drug trafficking," said Putin.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said "We have made solid progress in various areas of cooperation in the spirit of pragmatism, innovation and win-win cooperation. We have supported multilateralism and taken part in global governance in the spirit of equity, justice and mutual assistance".

South African President Ramaphosa said as BRICS countries we must continue to safeguard our people's lives, livelihoods, support global economic recovery and enhance the resilience of public systems.

This is the second time Prime Minister Modi will be chairing the BRICS Summit. Earlier, he had chaired the Goa Summit in 2016. The Indian Chairship of BRICS this year coincides with the fifteenth anniversary of BRICS, as reflected in the theme for the Summit.