BRICS nations urge ‘maximum restraint’
NEW DELHI: Members of the 11-nation BRICS group including China, Russia, Iran and India called for calm in the Middle East at a summit in New Delhi on Saturday, overcoming earlier divisions to issue a joint statement. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who joined Russian, Iranian, Indian and other leaders in the Indian capital, told the summit that the Middle East war “does not serve the common…
In a summit held in New Delhi on Saturday, leaders from the 11-nation BRICS group issued a joint statement urging "maximum restraint" in the Middle East. The countries, including China, Russia, Iran, and India, expressed deep concern over the escalating tensions in the region. Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that the Middle East war "does not serve the common interests of the international community."
Foreign ministers had previously struggled to agree on a joint statement in May due to divisions among Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates over the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28. However, intense diplomatic efforts by host India led to the issuance of the joint statement on Saturday. BRICS, established in 2009, aims to enhance the influence of emerging economies in institutions dominated by Western powers.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a system where every country has a voice and humanity's development is prioritized. The BRICS nations represent 50 percent of the world's population, 40 percent of global GDP, and more than 25 percent of global trade. However, balancing the bloc's interests remains a challenging diplomatic task.
India maintains relationships with Iran and Israel while also carefully navigating its ties with the United States. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the summit and expressed concern that the United States should not be the "regional policeman" in the Middle East, following the ongoing war and tensions that threaten the Strait of Hormuz.
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