India ready to lead, set example in South-South cooperation through BRICS: Trinidad and Tobago envoy
By Sahil Pandey, New Delhi, September 29
Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to India Chandradath Singh has praised India's 2026 BRICS chairship, saying the scale of the summit and the participation it brought together demonstrated New Delhi's readiness to lead efforts to strengthen South-South cooperation.
In an interview with ANI, Singh said India had demonstrated its commitment to connecting with the world and bringing countries and people together through the BRICS platform.
"The scale of the summit, the level of participation and the logistics involved demonstrated that India is serious about connecting with the world and strengthening South-South cooperation," he said. "The logistics of the BRICS Summit showed that India is ready - ready to host, ready to set an example and ready to lead," Singh added.
India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13 under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability". The New Delhi Declaration welcomed India's chairship initiatives and noted that more than 400 meetings and engagements were held across 30 cities under the BRICS cooperation framework.
Singh said India was giving fresh meaning to South-South cooperation, which, in his view, went beyond diplomatic statements and involved collaboration between people and countries.
He said India's contribution to the world through its traditions, including yoga and meditation, also reflected the broader scope of such cooperation.
"South-South cooperation goes beyond the usual jargon and statements. India is putting new meaning into that," he had said, adding that the world should pay attention to India's contribution.
The High Commissioner also said he intended to focus on India's second- and third-tier cities during his tenure, as businesses were increasingly expanding beyond metropolitan centres.
He said Trinidad and Tobago could benefit from India's manufacturing and technological capabilities by encouraging business delegations and joint ventures with Indian companies.
"Instead of building factories and machinery that we can't afford, we need to tap into India's resources by joint venturing with those who have the capability and economy of scale in India," Singh said.
India's BRICS chairship in 2026 was guided by the theme of resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability, with the New Delhi Declaration reaffirming the grouping's commitment to strengthening cooperation and advancing a more representative international order.
— ANI
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