India pulled off a diplomatic victory at the Brics Summit on Saturday with the adoption of a consensus joint declaration despite divergences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the West Asia crisis, though the document was shorn of any references to the war and only spoke of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts.
Members of the diverse grouping agreed to the final text of the Brics New Delhi Declaration, especially the paragraph referring to the situation in West Asia, late Saturday afternoon, hours before the document was unveiled around 4:30 pm, people familiar with the matter said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the adoption of the declaration at the end of the opening day’s deliberations in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The declaration was adopted on the opening day of the two-day summit, capping uncertainty created by the sharp divisions between Iran and the UAE that held up joint statements at several preparatory meetings in recent months. Brics operates on consensus, and objections from any member state could have blocked a joint declaration. “We stress the need to work together to maintain smooth flow of global trade, supply chains and energy, in accordance with applicable international law.
The Brics leaders endorsed New Delhi’s long-standing position that “dialogue and diplomacy” are the only options to settle conflicts and stressed the need for joint efforts to ensure the flow of global trade and energy. “We encourage increasing efforts, through dialogue and diplomacy, towards a long-term understanding that will contribute to lasting peace, security and stability in the region,” the declaration said. Several factors contributed to India’s efforts to forge consensus on the joint declaration, including getting Iran and the UAE to shift from their earlier demands seeking condemnation of attacks on their territories, the Russian side seeking the toning down of language on conflicts that could be perceived as a reference to the situation in Ukraine, and renewed efforts by Iran to mend fences with key players in West Asia, the people said. Ajay Srivastava of the economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said the declaration, without naming the US, Israel or Iran, had sent a “clear and carefully balanced message that the US and Israel should avoid attacking Iran, Iran should refrain from retaliatory strikes against neighbouring Gulf states such as the UAE, and all parties must protect civilians, respect sovereignty and pursue dialogue and diplomacy”.
