BRICS summit concludes, no mention of Ukraine situation

[New Delhi Current Affairs] The summit meeting of the BRICS group of emerging countries held in India concluded on the 13th after two days. The joint declaration adopted on the first day called for "maximum restraint" regarding the situation in the Middle East and West Asia without naming any specific countries such as the United States, but did not mention the situation in Ukraine, where major member country Russia continues to invade.

A declaration issued by Brazil last year included "reaffirming" their respective positions on the invasion of Ukraine. In addition, he expressed "serious concerns about the increase in unilateral tariffs and non-tariff barriers," keeping in mind the Trump administration's high tariff policy.

The meeting was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was visiting India for the first time in seven years, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Pezeshkian. On the 13th, an expanded meeting will be held to include "partner countries" and invited countries and organizations. They confirmed their commitment to promoting "multilateralism."

BRICS appoints itself the representative of the Global South (emerging and developing countries). At the opening of the meeting, Prime Minister Modi of India, who is hosting the conference, emphasized that the Global South "must strive to shift from being a rule-follower to a rule-maker," and called for reform of the United Nations Security Council.

In addition to the meeting, Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi held separate talks on the 12th. According to India's Ministry of External Affairs, the two leaders welcomed recent developments in Sino-Indian relations and agreed on a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution" to the pending border issue. China's state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying, ``China and India are partners, not rivals.''

Relations between the two countries deteriorated in 2020 after military clashes in the border area resulted in deaths. However, after several summit meetings since then, there has been an improvement trend.

Next year's BRICS summit will be held in China.