BRICS Meeting Concludes Without Joint Statement

The BRICS alliance failed to issue a joint statement after its foreign ministers met for two days in New Delhi, India reported on Friday. The group cited differing views among some members regarding the conflict in the Middle East. India currently chairs the alliance, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged member states to condemn what he described as violations of international law by the United States and Israel. Araghchi told a news conference that a BRICS member had blocked parts of a proposed statement from India.

He added that Iran had struck American military bases located on the soil of a Gulf neighbor. The war has intensified tensions between Iran and its Gulf neighbors, including the United Arab Emirates. The UAE representative, Minister of State Khalifa bin Shaheen Al Marar, rejected Araghchi’s remarks.

Al Marar accused him of attempting to justify terrorist attacks against the UAE and other Gulf states, stating that Iran had launched approximately 3,000 attacks on the UAE using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.

India’s statement highlighted points of consensus among BRICS members. These included calls for reforms to global governance institutions such as the United Nations and the Security Council. The group reiterated its demand for greater representation of Global South countries in international institutions.

The foreign ministers discussed Israel’s actions in Gaza. They agreed that Gaza was an inseparable part of any future independent Palestinian state. The ministers stressed the importance of unifying Gaza with the occupied West Bank under the governance of the Palestinian Authority, though one unnamed country expressed reservations about certain aspects of that section.

The group called on all parties to respect the ceasefire in Lebanon. Ministers condemned the use of economic sanctions as a form of coercion without naming a specific country. Sudan was also on the agenda, with the ministers calling for an immediate ceasefire in the civil war that began more than three years ago and warning that the country could become fertile ground for extremism and terrorism.

The situation in Syria was addressed as the country recovers from civil war that ended in December 2024. The statement called for a peaceful and inclusive political transition. The ministers stressed the importance of eliminating foreign terrorist fighters in Syria, saying they pose a security threat to the country and the wider region.

>"We have no difficulty with that certain country, they have not been our target in the current war.