BRICS countries reach consensus, adopt New Delhi Declaration

In an outcome which is likely to be projected by India as a definitive diplomatic breakthrough, the BRICS countries have reached consensus on the text of a joint statement after protracted negotiations over differences on the US war on Iran.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the conclusion of his remarks today that the New Delhi Declaration has been adopted.

“It is clear from today’s discussion that the world is changing and we should not be influenced by the old ways,” said Modi, who was photographed standing between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.

“Representation, responsiveness, and rule-making – all three are necessary. We have emphasised on this that the technology of the future and the construction of their rules should be equal to that of the Global South. The distance between the decisions and their results should be worked with partnership and collective action. Today, the New Delhi Declaration has given a clear direction to all our decisions. Now, it is our responsibility to reflect these decisions with strong results,” Modi announced.

“In the context of bridge-sharing, your valuable contribution, constructive spirit, and your competence, I would like to thank you all. I would like to announce the end of this session,” Modi added, in his end note.

The negotiations continued into the early hours today as India worked to bridge differences among members over the language relating to the conflict.

The difficulty was particularly acute between BRICS members Iran and the UAE, which have taken opposing positions during the war which began in February with US-Israel strikes on Iran and then expanded into Iranian counter-strikes on gulf countries hosting US military facilities.

There was significant buzz around a photograph emerging of Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s hand. Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa were seen walking alongside the two.

As The Wire has noted, Modi has faced criticism from the Indian opposition over the government’s handling of the Iran war, with Congress leaders accusing it of failing to condemn the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The Iran war issue had become particularly important ahead of the BRICS leaders’ summit in New Delhi, as every previous BRICS summit has ended with a joint declaration.

The differences had prevented BRICS foreign ministers from adopting a joint declaration in May, with India instead issuing a Chair’s Statement. There had also been sharp exchanges between the Iranian and UAE delegations at the foreign ministers’ meeting.

This gap also made itself felt at BRICS meetings of trade ministers and communication ministers, and the deputy foreign ministers and special envoys on the Middle East and North Africa meeting which had also seen similar Chair’s Statements.

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The article was originally published in The Wire. It is republished here under special arrangement and with permission