The BRICS summit in New Delhi expresses deep concern about the war in the Middle East and calls for restraint

On Saturday, the BRICS summit unanimously adopted a joint statement in which it expressed its “deep concern” about the war in the Middle East, urged the exercise of maximum restraint, and called for a “multilateral approach” that respects national viewpoints, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed, on Saturday, that the group “is not directed against anyone,” adding that the bloc has reached a “coming of age” moment in which the global South must develop to become a “rule shaper” in global governance.

The “New Delhi Declaration” said: “We express our deep concern about the continued escalation of tension in the Middle East... and we call for exercising the utmost restraint... and avoiding actions that may further aggravate the situation.”

The joint statement was adopted on the first day of the annual summit of the leaders of the group’s countries in New Delhi, at a time when the United States and Iran resumed mutual strikes after fighting stopped during most of August.

The statement also reaffirmed the commitment of member states to reach a peaceful solution to international disputes “through dialogue, consultation and diplomacy.” Member states also expressed their concern about the escalation of “unilateral customs and non-tariff measures” that impede trade, against the backdrop of US sanctions imposed on Tehran and on Russia due to its war with Ukraine.

Modi's statement came in his opening speech at the beginning of the group's summit, during which he sought to allay fears that BRICS aims to confront alliances led by Western countries, while portraying the group as a platform for emerging and developing economies to have a greater voice in global affairs. Modi added: “It is time to translate our unity and consensus in BRICS into tangible results.”

Modi will host Presidents: Russian Vladimir Putin, Chinese Xi Jinping, and Iranian Masoud Pezeshkian, and their counterparts from the other eight member states of the group.

The summit comes amid wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, in addition to escalating tensions between the United States and China, which constitutes a test of the ability of BRICS to find common ground between countries with conflicting geopolitical interests.

Thousands of police and paramilitary forces were deployed around the summit site and other parts of New Delhi, and traffic restrictions and diversions were imposed.

The BRICS group was established in 2006 and included Brazil, Russia, India, and China, and South Africa joined it in 2010. It has expanded since then to now include 11 members, representing about half of the world’s population and a large share of global economic output. The group has increasingly called for greater representation of developing countries in global institutions.

The two-day summit is expected to address issues of economic cooperation, energy, food security, technology, supply chains and reform of global institutions.

Reducing dependence on the US dollar will also be a top priority, with members promoting the use of their local currencies in trade and payments, and pushing for alternatives to financial institutions dominated by Western countries.

Observers say that one of the key tests for India will be how successful it is in securing a joint statement from the leaders at the summit. The divisions became clear last May, when BRICS foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement on the Iran war, forcing India to issue a presidential statement instead of the usual joint statement.

Xi's presence in itself constitutes an important event; This will be his first visit to the country since 2019, and it represents a major step in the slow rapprochement between the two rival countries, six years after the bloody military confrontation that took place between them along the disputed border in the Himalayan region.

Relations between the two nuclear-armed Asian giants witnessed a gradual improvement after they agreed to resume flights, high-level communications, and grant visas. Beijing confirmed on Friday that “China is ready to work with India... by enhancing communication, consolidating cooperation, and dealing with differences in a proper manner.”

However, a lack of trust still largely looms over relations, as border disputes continue, with the two countries maintaining a military deployment along the border extending between them for about 3,500 km on the outskirts of the Chinese Tibet region.

Xi and Modi met on Saturday on the sidelines of the summit, as announced by Chinese state television (CCTV), without providing further details. For its part, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Xi and Modi “expressed their commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution to the border issue.” They also stressed the need to continue strengthening trade ties and increasing movement between their countries.

The BRICS forum is seen as a gathering of major emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India and China - outside the framework of blocs dominated by the United States and Western powers, such as the G7.

The bloc later expanded to include countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, which have widely differing positions on the war in the Middle East. Before the summit, Modi received Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

This war raises division among BRICS members. Russia and China continue their commercial dealings with Iran despite the severe sanctions imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump and the countries dealing with them as part of a campaign aimed at “stifling the Iranian economy.”

Speaking to Agence France-Presse, Harsh Pant, an analyst at the Observer Research Foundation, a center for studies close to the Indian government, said, “This dispute will be the main dividing line during the summit.”

On the other hand, Modi met on Friday with Vladimir Putin, six months after the Russian president’s last visit to India, and New Delhi confirmed that they “shared views” on the Middle East and Ukraine, noting that Modi “reaffirmed that conflicts can only be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.”

India is a traditional ally of Moscow, and has continued to import Russian oil despite the sanctions imposed by the United States, considering that oil revenues allow Moscow to finance its war against Ukraine. This, in turn, helped New Delhi overcome the energy crisis resulting from the war in the Middle East.