India’s Invitation to Nepal, Bangladesh for BRICS Outreach Opens Door to Regional Reset: Report

Source: Lokmat Times | Original Published At: 2026-08-23 11:02:19 UTC

Key Points

• India is preparing to host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi and has invited non-member countries Bangladesh and Nepal to the grouping’s outreach session.
• The invitations are seen as strengthening South Asia’s collective engagement with the Global South and opening space for improved bilateral ties among India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
• As BRICS chair, India’s summit theme is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
• The report notes that BRICS regularly invites chairs of regional groupings, and Bangladesh is currently the BIMSTEC chairman, with Nepal also a BIMSTEC member.
• The outreach session is described as an opportunity for India and the invitees to reset bilateral relations in the post-uprising period, despite historical tensions and political changes in Nepal and Bangladesh.
• The report says there is speculation that Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar may visit Nepal to formally invite the Nepalese prime minister to the summit.
• Nepal’s participation is said to support its integration with Global South initiatives and its balanced foreign policy by bringing New Delhi and Beijing onto the same platform.