By Sarita Chaganti Singh, Shivangi Acharya and Saurabh Sharma
NEW DELHI, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Iran and the United Arab Emirates signed up to a joint statement from the BRICS group of nations that called for restraint in the Middle East war on Saturday, in what was seen as a sign of diplomatic progress between the countries divided by the war.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi on the sidelines of the first day of the New Delhi summit, in the countries' highest-level
meeting since the start of the conflict.
The two leaders discussed regional and international issues, de-escalation, stability, and efforts to advance regional peace and development, the Abu Dhabi media office said on X, without referring to any resolution to the discussions.
The BRICS summit is a test of the diplomatic clout of a bloc set up in 2009 to challenge a world order dominated by the United States and its Western allies. It originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia as well as Iran and the UAE.
Summit organisers and diplomats have been focused on bridging the Iran-UAE divide, even as the United States and Iran resume tit-for-tat strikes in the six-month-old war.
Iran has launched repeated attacks on the UAE during the conflict, most recently in late August when it targeted the Al Minhad Air Base that housed U.S. forces and helicopters.
"We express deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in Middle East/West Asia ... call for exercising maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation," the joint BRICS declaration read.
It called for the protection of civilians, urged respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, and stressed the need to protect global trade, supply chains, energy flows and maritime security.
SUMMIT HAS KEPT 'DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS GOING'
Foreign policy experts had said the key test for the bloc would be finding language on the Middle East crisis that both Abu Dhabi and Tehran could accept, clearing the way for the joint declaration.
Such a joint statement was unlikely to influence the current geopolitical landscape, but would demonstrate unity by a grouping of emerging nations, they said.
The Iranian embassy in India posted a photo of the meeting between its president and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the eldest son of the president of the country and the next in line to succeed him.
But it did not say anything about what they discussed.
"The key to ending the war lies with the U.S. and Israel," Sunjay Sudhir, a former Indian ambassador to the UAE, told Reuters.
"What India has done is keep the difficult conversations going, by showing that countries of the region can sit at the same table, engage diplomatically, and build on where their interests converge."
BRICS BLOC HAS COME OF AGE, SAYS MODI
Host India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the bloc had come of age and it was time to translate its unity and consensus into concrete results on the global stage, as he opened the meeting.
The BRICS bloc is seeking to raise its profile by influencing international rules and demanding the reform of institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization, which some members view as being dominated by Western powers.
Leaders attending the summit include Russia's Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa.
Chinese President Xi said BRICS countries should firmly stand on the right side of history by steering the international order toward greater equity and justice.
Xi also said China was ready to play its "due role" in achieving peace and stability in the Middle East.
"Relevant parties must remain committed to a political settlement and work towards achieving a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire," he said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
New Delhi, which has strong ties with the United States, Russia, Israel, Iran and the Gulf Arab states, is engaged in a diplomatic balancing act, with Modi pushing BRICS members to boost trade cooperation, reduce barriers and expand business opportunities.
(Reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh, Shivangi Acharya, Saurabh Sharma, Sunil Kataria, Nikunj Ohri, Aftab Ahmed, Sakshi Dayal, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Hritam Mukherjee, Muhammad Al Gebaly, Yasmine Ghania, Lee Liz and Liam Mo; Writing by YP Rajesh; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Jacqueline Wong and Andrew Heavens)
