BRICS Summit 2026 LIVE Updates: BRICS leaders on Saturday called for protection of cultural heritage, including in regions affected by conflict, and laid emphasis on repatriation of antiquities and objects of spiritual, ancestral, historical and cultural value to their country of origin.
In the New Delhi Declaration adopted on day one of the two-day BRICS Summit being hosted by India, the grouping also welcomed adoption of the Bhopal Declaration at the 11th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting, reaffirming the important role of culture in fostering people-to-people cooperation and strengthening ties among member countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the adoption of the declaration at the end of the opening day’s deliberations in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other top leaders of the bloc.
In a major diplomatic victory for India, the BRICS grouping adopted the consensus joint declaration on Saturday after overcoming sharp differences between the United Arab Emirates and Tehran regarding the Middle East conflict, but skipped any direct mention of the US strikes on Iran or the Iranian military’s attacks on several Gulf Arab nations.
