Walking the tightrope to forge consensus over issuing a statement on the ongoing West Asia conflict, India will host Iran and the UAE, alongside other member countries, at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’
Meet next month.
The BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting will take place on May 14 and 15 in New Delhi, ahead of 17th BRICS Summit under India’s leadership.
New Delhi has extended invitations to all the member countries, with Russia already having confirmed foreign minister Sergey Lavrov’s attendance. Apart from Russia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, other members include Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.
The meeting comes at a time when at least three member countries are directly involved in the West Asia conflict, as a result of US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. The war has triggered a massive energy crisis with global repercussions due to a military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on major oil sites in the Persian Gulf.
As the chair, India hosted the first BRICS Sherpa and Sous Sherpa meeting in New Delhi on February 9 and 10, setting the agenda for the year under the theme ‘Building for resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability’.
As of now, India will be hosting the foreign ministers’ meeting at a sensitive but significant moment with Tehran urging New Delhi, as the current BRICS chair, to issue a formal statement condemning US-Israeli military strikes against it. This has placed New Delhi in a delicate diplomatic spot as the member countries are directly involved in the conflict.
India is actively engaging with member countries of BRICS to arrive at a common position on the West Asia crisis. According to India’s official statement, BRICS members are directly involved in the current situation, and the differences among member countries have made it difficult for the grouping to forge consensus.
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The most recent virtual meeting of BRICS sherpas was held on March 12 to deliberate on the evolving situation in West Asia. The bloc is split on the issue, making it complicated to reach a unified stance. While members like China and Russia have condemned the attacks, others including the UAE have different views.
