UAE seeks to strengthen East-West links through Brics, says senior official

The United Arab Emirates is leveraging its membership in the emerging Brics bloc to bolster trade, economic, and cultural ties between the East and West, according to a senior UAE official. Omran Sharaf, the UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology Affairs and the country's Brics sherpa, explained that the nation's strategic position as a hub in the region necessitates collaboration with both Eastern and Western nations.

Sharaf emphasized that the UAE's role within Brics centers on fostering connections among member states and expanding access to the Global South from other parts of the world. The bloc, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has since grown to include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, and Ethiopia.

These nations together account for a significant portion of the global population and economic output. Sharaf acknowledged that differing viewpoints among Brics members are inherent to a multipolar world, but he sees this as a natural outcome of countries pursuing their national interests. The UAE delegation, led by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, is participating in the upcoming Brics summit in New Delhi.

The UAE sees India's hosting of the summit as particularly significant, as the two nations have cultivated a robust trade and strategic partnership. India's support for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (Imec), an initiative aimed at creating alternative trade routes to bypass disrupted maritime chokepoints, aligns with the UAE's focus on diversifying global trade paths.