Narendra Modi received Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali at Bharat Mandapam at the end of the first day of the BRICS Summit 2026 as the high-level diplomatic talks around the summit take place in New Delhi.
The arrival of Abiy Ahmed Ali as well as the meeting between Modi and Ahmed Ali are the sign of India’s strong ties with Ethiopia as well as India’s efforts to build more partnerships with African countries.
The BRICS Summit itself has become one of the focuses of India’s most important international meetings and leaders will also meet there for a series of bilateral and multilateral talks. India and Ethiopia have long-standing diplomatic relations and cooperation in various areas (trade, investment, education, healthcare, agriculture, technology, capacity building and development assistance).
India has been supporting many projects to develop human resource and institutional capacity in Africa and has been instrumental to commercial relationships in Ethiopia. The meeting at Bharat Mandapam has the potential to bring the two leaders together in further discussion of issues, and discuss how bilateral cooperation can be strengthened.
Ethiopia has an important place in the international economic and political landscape, in relation to its size and population and its standing in the Horn of Africa. With relations with Ethiopia, an India-Ethiopia relationship will also help to develop relations with African countries and help make emerging economies more friendly to each other.
The BRICS forum has become a focal point for international discussions between developing countries and the rest of the world (e.g. economic growth, trade, investment, sustainable development, energy security, climate, technology and reforms in international institutions). The presence of Ethiopia’s prime minister adds an African dimension to the discussions and underlines the growing role of the continent in discussions about the future of the world economy.
Modi’s discussions with Abiy Ahmed Ali have also been very significant for India in relation to the diplomatic outreach of India. India has continued to pursue partnerships with African countries in every area - development cooperation, economic engagement and people-to-people engagement. Ethiopia has been an important partner in this effort and high-level political engagement is especially important during a major international summit hosted by India.
The BRICS Summit 2026 will also give leaders a chance to meet away from the formal summit agenda. This interaction will help countries in the bilateral dialogue, review existing alliances and identify new areas of cooperation. Digital technology, agriculture, education, healthcare, infrastructure and trade could be fields of collaboration for India and Ethiopia.
The welcome at Bharat Mandapam is at least as much important as the symbolic ceremony of receiving a visiting leader. It is part of the wider diplomatic exercise going on as India prepares to host the BRICS Summit and build its relationship with other countries.
New Delhi is also an important international diplomatic hub in the world and India is a good place to talk to emerging economies. As the BRICS Summit takes place, Modi and leaders from other countries who are also participating will be closely watched as well. So Abiy Ahmed Ali and those of India-Ethiopia relations will have a positive effect on the India-Ethiopia relationship and the role of African people at the same time and the importance of African voices in the debate on the global economic and diplomatic agenda.
#WATCH | Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed Ali to Bharat Mandapam - the venue for BRICS Summit 2026.
— ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2026
(Video: DD News) pic.twitter.com/u5Tzj6a3mJ
The welcome of the Ethiopian Prime Minister at Bharat Mandapam is therefore an important moment in the leadership of the summit as it demonstrates India's commitment to working with Ethiopia and other countries on the Global South. High-level interactions such as these are likely to be at the heart of future cooperation in BRICS to build economic cooperation and better coordinate on issues of the world on the rise.
