The story of Sri Lanka 'losing' a seat at the International BRICS Summit held in India

The 18th BRICS Summit, chaired by India in 2026, was held on September 12 and 13 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Coinciding with this summit, held under the theme of “Building Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability,” the 20th anniversary of the BRICS organization was also commemorated.

On the first day of the summit, the 'New Delhi Declaration,' comprising 140 paragraphs and covering a wide range of issues including reforms of the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund, local currency payments, digital public infrastructure, de-escalation of conflicts in the Gaza Strip, and condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April 2025, was unanimously adopted by the leaders.

Representatives from 11 full member countries participated in this summit, including heads of state such as host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited India after seven years. Brazil and Saudi Arabia sent representatives at the foreign minister level instead of heads of state. Additionally, 10 countries that gained partner status at the 2024 Kazan Summit—Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam—also participated in the open session held on September 13. Furthermore, a group of invitees, including presidents of regional organizations, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the President of the New Development Bank, were also present, but no new full members or partner countries were announced during the summit.

Sri Lanka had a very limited role in this global diplomatic hub. As Sri Lanka is neither a full member nor a partner country of the BRICS organization, India, which held the presidency, extended an invitation to Sri Lanka that was limited to a small diplomatic team with no opportunity to speak. Although Sri Lanka officially applied for full membership and membership in the New Development Bank at the Kazan Summit held in Russia in October 2024, it is believed that weaknesses in its representation through the Foreign Secretary instead of a head of state due to the political situation at the time, as well as its small economy and population, may have contributed to Sri Lanka losing its membership bid. However, Sri Lanka's application has not been officially rejected and has been deferred for future consideration based on the consensus for admitting new members.

Critics point out that while other emerging nations officially advance within the BRICS partner framework, Sri Lanka losing a seat despite close ties between India and Sri Lanka is a diplomatic setback. Merely sending letters or showing political interest cannot yield results; it is clear that there is a need to adopt a strong lobbying strategy regarding Sri Lanka's potential contribution to BRICS, taking inspiration from how other member and partner countries actively engaged on the international stage. Despite this backdrop, immediately after the summit, on September 14, 2026, the Sri Lankan Cabinet approved reapplying for BRICS membership and access to the New Development Bank, with China set to hold the next BRICS presidency.