Hoping to forge an elusive consensus over the war in West Asia, New Delhi is going ahead with planning key meetings of BRICS countries this year in India, and has sent out invitations for the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to be held in May and the 18th BRICS Summit in September.
According to a number of officials and diplomats, the invitations to the 10-nation grouping that also includes Iran and the United Arab Emirates went out in mid-March. Both countries have rebuffed several attempts by India— as the current Chair of BRICS— to issue a joint statement. Officials said it is unclear whether they will attend the meeting together, but that “as of now” the BRICS Foreign minister’s meeting is due to be held in-person in mid-May. The summit, which could bring Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders from Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the UAE together in Delhi, is expected to be held on September 9-10.
India facilitating negotiations within BRICS on West Asia conflict: Jaiswal
“One of the key events on the political track, in addition to the traditional leaders’ meeting [in September], will be the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, scheduled for May,” Russian government spokesperson Maria Zakharova told journalists in Moscow this week. “This will be a good opportunity for a thorough discussion of current issues on the international agenda, the role of BRICS in the world, and opportunities for joint action,” she said, responding to questions about how the grouping of emerging non-Western economies would tackle the war in West Asia, where Iran has responded to U.S.-Israel strikes since February 28 by targeting Gulf countries, especially the UAE.
