New Delhi : The 18th BRICS Summit has begun in India today. This important two-day international gathering is being held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The presence of top leaders of BRICS countries has increased diplomatic activity in the capital. Several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, have arrived in New Delhi to attend the summit.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold separate bilateral discussions with at least 15 foreign leaders and senior officials on the sidelines of the summit. Among these discussions, the meetings with Putin, Xi Jinping and Pezeshkian carry special significance. Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India is being given considerable diplomatic importance. This is his first visit to India in nearly seven years. The international community is closely watching the discussions between the two leaders on India-China relations, the border issue and bilateral cooperation.Similarly, this is Masoud Pezeshkian's first official visit to India since becoming President of Iran. His discussions on India-Iran relations, regional security and trade cooperation will also be important. Ahead of the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday. Modi-Putin discussions are expected to cover India-Russia bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues. The summit, being held on September 12 and 13, is historic for India for two reasons. On the one hand, India is chairing BRICS for the fourth time, while on the other hand, this multilateral group's formation is completing 20 years.World leaders' discussions on issues such as the global economy, multilateral cooperation, trade, regional and global security have turned this summit into a major platform for global diplomacy.