At the 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi, the capital of India, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the group to strengthen cooperation and promote innovation, peace and stability. Xi announced that China will assume the BRICS term presidency next year and host the 19th summit. China previously hosted BRICS summits in 2011, 2017 and 2022.
Xi stated that solidarity and cooperation have always been a source of strength throughout BRICS' twenty-year journey, and called on members to treat each other with sincerity, seek common ground while respecting differences, and respect each other's fundamental concerns.
Stating that members should deepen mutual understanding to ensure the stable and long-term development of BRICS cooperation, Xi stated that differences should be managed appropriately through communication and dialogue.
Xi noted that the group's historic expansion and comprehensive, multi-level cooperation framework have initiated a new phase in the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation.
BRICS has grown from its initial four members to a community of 11 full members and 10 partner countries. Its members account for almost half of the world's population and more than a quarter of global trade.
'TOGETHER WE BUILD, TOGETHER WE RISE'
Host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi took a group photo in front of a huge water pool. The leaders came together in a venue decorated with the slogan "Together we build, together we rise."
The BRICS Summit had an order as if to show what world leadership could look like without the participation of the West. As the deepening conflict in the Middle East drives up global energy prices, this weekend's meeting in New Delhi offered leaders of China, India, Russia and many other countries an opportunity Washington does not have; Sitting at the same table with Iran.
The group has been divided due to tensions between Tehran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a partner of the United States, which Iran has targeted with its ballistic missiles since the start of the war in February. India, which sets the meeting agenda as the host country, prefers to establish strategic friendships with powers on both sides of the ideological spectrum, rather than keeping its distance from the West such as Russia and Iran.
THE SUMMIT THAT PROVIDED AN ADVANTAGE TO RUSSIA AND CHINA
During the photo shoot, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian was at one end of the row, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, representing the UAE, was at the corner farthest from Pezeshkian. Later the same day, the group issued a joint statement calling for "utmost restraint" in the Middle East but refraining from blaming any single country.
The BRICS summit held in New Delhi brought together regional rivals such as Iran and the UAE at the same table, providing China and Russia with a diplomatic advantage that the West could not achieve. According to Russia expert Buğra Bekir Işılak, who stated that BRICS is not a force that will end the war in the Middle East on its own, but serves as an alternative diplomatic channel, the cooperation between China and Russia through BRICS means an economic and institutional challenge to the Western system, not a military one.
BRICS' DIPLOMATIC CHANNEL FUNCTION
Işılak emphasized that the most important function of BRICS is to create an alternative diplomatic space that can keep different actors around the same table, rather than acting as a direct mediator. Işılak noted that the emphasis on the security of energy corridors, global trade and maritime transportation reveals that the Middle East crisis is now considered as an issue with not only regional but also global consequences.
The expert evaluated, "Especially the fact that Iran and the Gulf countries can meet on the same political ground shows that BRICS can create a channel of contact and dialogue in regional crises."
THE EFFECT OF THE CHINA-RUSSIA APPROACH ON THE WESTERN SYSTEM
Işılak stated that the rapprochement between China and Russia is one of the most important elements of the weight BRICS has gained today, and stated that the two countries have a significant common perspective on strengthening the multipolar world order, reforming Western-centered international institutions and increasing the weight of the Global South in global decision-making mechanisms.
Işılak said, "However, it would not be correct to say that China and Russia are in 'full cooperation'. A more accurate statement would be the gradual deepening of the strategic partnership and coordination in line with common interests."
Reminding that BRICS is not an alliance with common foreign policy and defense obligations like NATO or the EU, Işılak noted that this flexible structure allows China and Russia to act together in areas they see as common while protecting their national interests, and said:
"While China stands out especially in terms of economy, trade, investment, technology and organizational expansion, Russia assumes a more prominent role in the transformation of multipolarity, energy, security and global governance. Therefore, the combination of China's economic capacity and Russia's geopolitical and energy weight increases the global influence of BRICS."
BALANCE POLICY OF BRAZIL AND INDIA
Işılak stated that it would not be correct to say that Brazil and India have joined the Russia-China axis, and stated that both countries use BRICS as a platform where they can increase their strategic autonomy and increase their bargaining power in the international system. Noting that a similar picture is valid for Brazil, Işılak stated that the Lula administration supports multipolarity and wants the BRICS to be strengthened, but Brazil does not have a goal of severing its relations with the USA or being included in the China-Russia axis.
Stating that India maintains its traditional relations with Russia while maintaining strong ties with the USA, Europe and other actors in the Asia-Pacific, Işılak said, "Although there has been a recent softening in its relations with China, border disputes and strategic competition continue. For this reason, India's approach is a multifaceted balancing policy rather than a 'joining the Eastern bloc' policy."
'INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM IS BECOME MULTI-CENTRALIZED'
Stating that Brazil has approached the expansion of BRICS more cautiously, and one of the main reasons for this is the concern that expansion may reduce Brazil's influence within BRICS by changing the structure of the organization and decision-making balances, Işılak commented, "Brazil's approach, defined as 'active non-alignment', is based on maintaining relations with both parties instead of choosing between the USA and China."
The expert explained, "The transformation that is taking place is not the countries collectively 'turning to the East', but the international system becoming 'polycentric'. The political interests of the BRICS countries are not the same; but there are points in common in terms of having a greater say in areas such as global finance, trade, energy, technology and the reform of international institutions. Therefore, it would be more accurate to evaluate the emerging picture as the strengthening of a polycentric international system rather than a new East-West bloc."
"MULTIPOLAR ORDER IS GETTING STRONGER"
Stating that BRICS primarily means an economic and institutional challenge, not a military one, for the US-led Western system, Işılak added:
"The emergence of concepts such as trade with local currencies, alternative payment mechanisms, de-dollarization, demands for reform in the New Development Bank and global financial institutions show the search for creating alternative channels alongside the Western-centered financial architecture," he said.
Emphasizing that it would not be correct to see BRICS as a new bloc established against the West under the leadership of China-Russia, Işılak said, "India's competition with China, Brazil's strategic autonomy policy and the members' ongoing economic relations with the West limit this. China-Russia rapprochement strengthens BRICS, but the actual picture that emerges would be more accurate to read as the gradual strengthening of a multipolar international order rather than a new bloc that will immediately replace the Western system."
Türkiye'S POSITION IN THE BRICS EQUATION
Işılak stated that it would not be right for Turkey to approach BRICS as "a break from the West and a turn towards the East", and stated that Ankara's interest in BRICS can be explained more by the search for increasing strategic autonomy, diversifying economic options and expanding its field of action in the multipolar system. Işılak emphasized that Türkiye's membership in NATO, the Customs Union with the European Union and the fact that Europe is still one of the most important economic partners do not make it realistic to see BRICS as an alternative to these, and emphasized that "for this reason, BRICS is more of a complementary platform for Turkey."
Işılak stated that economically, BRICS offers important opportunities to Türkiye in terms of new markets, investment, energy and transportation connections, and noted that Türkiye's location connecting Europe and Asia has gained importance, especially at the intersection of China's Belt and Road Initiative and Türkiye's Middle Corridor approach.
The expert said, "For Ankara, BRICS projects related to transportation, energy and trade networks strengthen Türkiye's position as a transit country."
"IT MAY INCREASE Türkiye'S ECONOMIC OPTIONS"
In the financial field, Işılak stated that BRICS' trade with local currencies and development of alternative payment mechanisms could increase Türkiye's economic options, and said that such mechanisms could gain importance in the long term, especially in terms of trade with Russia, China and other Asian countries. Işılak added that it may not be realistic to consider BRICS as an alternative to the current system, as the Turkish economy continues to have strong connections with the European financial system and Western markets.
Işılak stated that the impact of BRICS on Türkiye in the long term will depend on the extent to which the organization will be institutionalized and said:
"If trade with local currencies, payment systems, investment mechanisms, energy and transportation projects are further developed, the economic value of BRICS for Turkey will increase. Therefore, Ankara's main goal is to preserve its existing relations with the West and increase its options in Asia and the Global South, rather than choosing a bloc. The real strategic value of BRICS for Turkey lies in its potential to expand this versatile field of action."
