- BRICS summit faces hurdles due to Iran-UAE differences.
- New members Iran, UAE clash over regional security issues.
- Previous foreign ministers’ meeting failed to reach joint statement.
The joint declaration of the BRICS summit remains a major challenge for India, which is chairing the grouping this year. Sherpas from the 11 BRICS member countries are working to reach consensus on the declaration, but deep differences between Iran and the UAE have emerged as a key hurdle.
The UAE, Iran and Saudi Arabia are new full-time BRICS members. However, differences between the UAE and Iran have made it difficult to arrive at a joint declaration.
Iran has repeatedly targeted US bases in the UAE in response to US and Israeli attacks.
Officials from India, Russia, Brazil and Egypt are working to persuade Iran and the UAE to agree to a consensus. Since BRICS operates under a consensus framework, there are doubts over whether the summit will be able to produce a common declaration.
Russia Expresses Hope For A Way Out
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Delhi, “The differences in the positions of Iran and the UAE are natural. We hope that countries that are friends of Russia will overcome this difficulty. If necessary, Russia is ready to help normalize relations between Iran and the UAE.”
Peskov said Russia hopes the ongoing negotiations on the declaration will yield positive results because India has very capable diplomats.
He said wording that protects the interests of both Iran and the UAE will be found so that consensus can be reached on the declaration.
BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Had Hit A Roadblock
Sharp differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asian crisis had surfaced at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting in May this year.
As a result, a joint statement could not be issued. Ultimately, India, as chair, issued a statement along with an outcome document that included two paragraphs on which consensus could not be reached.
The earlier deadlock has now raised concerns over whether BRICS members will be able to reach consensus on a joint declaration at the summit.
