(Sept 12): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pulled off an apparent diplomatic coup on Saturday, steering rival BRICS nations towards a strongly-worded joint statement despite opposing positions over the escalating war in the Middle East. 

At a two-day summit that began in New Delhi on Saturday, the 10 full members and Saudi Arabia stopped short of naming countries, but called for restraint and for the avoidance of actions that “could further aggravate the situation”. The declaration also raised “serious concern over deliberate attacks” on civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities.   

Negotiations lasted into the early hours of Saturday and were complicated by the need to secure agreement among countries including Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which stand on different sides of the Persian Gulf conflict, according to an Indian official, who asked not to be identified because the discussions were private.

Fighting has intensified in the Persian Gulf in recent days, with Saudi Arabia forced to close a key pipeline following multiple attacks. US forces have conducted strikes on Iranian tankers. Oil prices surged close to US$110 (RM448) in response, while Asian equities and bonds have slumped.

The expanded BRICS bloc brings together countries with vastly different economic and strategic interests. Chinese President Xi Jinping — in his first visit to the country in seven years — stood alongside Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian and others.

Iran’s leader made defiant comments during the gathering, and said the people of his country won’t surrender. 

“They want to bully us, and we do not want to be bullied,” he said of the US in a speech on Friday. “We never kneel down before them. If they push us, we push back.”

A joint declaration by the BRICS nations marks a show of unity by the bloc and a win for Modi, who is seeking to balance ties with Iran on the one side, and the UAE, the US and Israel on the other. 

In May, negotiations between BRICS foreign ministers over a joint statement deadlocked following tensions between Iran and the UAE. In the run-up to the leaders’ meeting this weekend, differences persisted over language on the Middle East war, but the gaps narrowed following constructive discussions.

“New Delhi finds great utility in BRICS to project its strategic autonomy,” said Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.

“It was able to put that into practice, to work behind the scenes and succeeded in bringing out a joint statement when there was little hope. It shows that New Delhi was able to work closely with Beijing and Moscow who are equally invested in the success of this non-West grouping.”

The gathering has offered Modi a chance to shore up his image as a leader among Global South nations, as well project India’s ability to maintain ties spanning different ideological camps — a position whose value has grown as relations with the US have frayed amid President Donald Trump’s trade war. 

Modi is also seeking to reset ties with Xi after a deadly border clash between the two countries in 2020. The two leaders sought to project a positive front on Saturday as they began a bilateral meeting in New Delhi.

“China has always seen and developed China-India ties from a strategic and long-term perspective,” Xi said. “Faced with a turbulent international landscape, China and India — as the world’s two most populous countries and key members of the Global South — bear significant responsibilities.”

On Saturday, the BRICS nations took aim at Trump’s tariff war, without naming the US or its leader. The joint statement expressed “serious concerns” about rising unilateral tariffs and non-tariff measures, and warned that protectionism was disrupting supply chains and causing economic instability. 

BRICS nations also condemned the imposition of unilateral and secondary sanctions, a pointed reference to US and Western financial and other restrictions on Iran and Russia, and the threat of penalties on countries like China and India for buying Russian and Iranian oil.

In line with previous statements, the group pledged greater trade in local currencies, closer cross-border payment links and called for reforms to institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to give developing economies a greater voice.

“Today, the Global South stands in the front row of global crises but in the back row of decision-making,” Modi said in his opening remarks to BRICS leaders on Saturday. “We must transform this ‘pyramid of privilege’ into a ‘platform of partnership’ — one where every nation has a voice, every member has a stake, and the development of humanity lies at the heart of every endeavour.”

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