BRICS summit ends without joint declaration due to differences on Middle East

The two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of the BRICS+ countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, among others) concluded on Friday in New Delhi without a joint statement due to “differences of opinion among some members” on the situation in the Middle East, according to India, the host country. The distance between them on key issues such as the war in Iran highlights the challenge of maintaining unity within the bloc in its quest to expand its influence.

The Indian statement said the members expressed “their respective national positions and shared diverse perspectives” on issues such as sovereignty, maritime security and the protection of civilian infrastructure and civilian lives in the Middle East.

It also included a footnote noting that “one member had reservations”, without disclosing which one, on parts of the sections relating to Gaza and security in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The group, originally made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has incorporated Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia in the last two years, expanding its economic and political weight, but also the internal differences between some of its members. More recently, he has highlighted the gulf between Iran and the UAE, which is at odds over Iran’s war, during which Tehran has attacked its neighbor across the Gulf more than any country in the region.

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