Iran wants to make a fresh start with the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ) and look to the future, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday, a day after his surprise meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed on the margins of the Brics Summit in New Delhi.
Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday that the meeting in Oman on September 14 is meant to “promote better understanding among the countries of the region and help strengthen shared regional security”. However, Bahrain , a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that has borne the brunt of Iranian attacks, said it will not participate in the meeting.
The attacks on Iran’s economic, energy and development infrastructure can have consequences beyond national borders, leading to regional and global repercussions, he pointed out.
The joint declaration adopted at the summit reflected opposition to such attacks, and broader concern over unilateralism and violations of international law, Pezeshkian said. Opposition to unilateral sanctions and coercive measures was another shared position at the summit, and many leaders spoke of the need to to expand trade in national currencies, he said. Hitting out at Western powers, Pezeshkian said “unilateral sanctions” are directly impacting global food security and people’s welfare. In these circumstances, Brics must play a larger role in building a more balanced, inclusive and just global order, and resilience, cooperation and sustainability should be translated into practical action, he said. The excessive dependence on limited financial and trade systems has made economies vulnerable to political shocks, he said, while calling for expanded trade in national currencies and strengthening the New Development Bank to enhance the economic resilience of Brics member states. Economic resilience cannot be sustained without security, he said, referring to the military aggression of the US and Israel against Iran.
Earlier on Sunday, Pezeshkian said Brics must expand trade in national currencies and work for an inclusive global economic framework as excessive dependence on existing financial and trade systems has made emerging economies vulnerable to political shocks.
