Delhi gets ready for BRICS. Getting everyone to agree is the real test.

Putting leaders around the same table is one task. Getting them to sign the same statement is another. India is preparing to host the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, with disagreements among members putting the group's unity under pressure.

On September 10, China's foreign ministry confirmed that President Xi Jinping would attend at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation. The announcement added a major name to a gathering where diplomacy outside the main meeting could matter as much as the speeches inside it.

What is BRICS trying to do?

The name comes from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The group has since expanded. It gives major emerging economies a forum to discuss development, trade and their influence in international affairs, while bringing together governments with different priorities.

India's official summit backgrounder describes an agenda covering development, finance, technology, trade and exchanges between people. India says its chairmanship focuses on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. Those are broad goals. The detail of any commitments will determine what they mean in practice.

Think of it as a group project with very powerful participants. Everyone may want a stronger voice, but they do not necessarily want to say the same thing. Adding members can widen the group's reach while making agreement harder.

The difficult conversation in the room

Reuters reported on September 10 that the Iran conflict is a major test, particularly because of the opposing positions of Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Foreign-policy specialists told the agency that finding wording both could accept would be central to efforts to issue a joint declaration.

A declaration is a shared statement of positions. It does not automatically end a conflict or turn promises into policy. But failure to agree can show the limits of a group's ability to act together.

The public preparations are already visible. Moneycontrol reported that Modi shared a short summit-preparation video on September 10, featuring the event at Bharat Mandapam. The ceremony sets the stage; the negotiations still have to deliver.

For younger readers, the useful things to watch are concrete proposals about trade, technology, education or development, rather than only the group photograph. A new programme with funding and a timeline means something different from a general promise to cooperate.

The summit has not yet produced its final outcome. Delhi can prepare the venue and welcome the delegations. Whether the expanded group can turn different interests into shared decisions remains the larger question.