New Delhi: India and Russia held a BRICS academic conference in Moscow on Monday, to discuss connectivity, supply chains and technology cooperation. The conference was organized by India’s Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and Russia’s BRICS Expert Council.
The theme of the conference was “Strengthening BRICS Connectivity: Fostering Cooperation.” The event was held as part of India’s BRICS presidency for 2026. Participants exchanged views on strengthening cooperation and connectivity within the bloc. The event brought together about 120 participants from 10 BRICS countries.
The conference opened with remarks from four speakers. Pavel Knyazev, Russia’s sous-sherpa for BRICS, and Nikhilesh Giri, deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in Russia, were among those who spoke. They were joined by Victoria Panova, head of the BRICS expert council Russia, and Nandan Unnikrishnan, a distinguished fellow at ORF. Speakers spoke about BRICS growing role as a platform for inclusive multilateralism, and called for reforms to make global governance more representative and effective.
The conference was structured around three thematic sessions, connectivity and infrastructure, critical supply chains, cooperation on artificial intelligence and frontier technologies. Participants agreed that progress in these three areas would remain central to advancing the BRICS agenda.
India’s to host BRICS transport ministers’ meet
Building on these discussions, India will host the third BRICS transport ministers meeting in Nagpur, Maharashtra, on July 11-12. The meeting will bring together transport ministers and senior officials from BRICS countries, to discuss sustainable and technology-driven transport systems, and will review the progress made during Russia’s and Brazil’s presidencies of the bloc.
Discussions in Nagpur are expected to cover sustainable aviation fuel, urban mobility, multimodal transport, resilient logistics and supply chains, transport decarbonization and the use of artificial intelligence in transport systems. The Union minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, will chair the meeting on July 11.
The meeting is being held under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” and its discussions are expected to align with India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision for a climate-conscious and data-driven transport ecosystem. The transport ministry said the meeting aims to improve trade and logistics efficiency and strengthen regional and global connectivity.