Unified BRICS position on West Asia elusive, admits MEA
India on Saturday admitted that a common BRICS position on the West Asia conflict remains elusive due to “differing views” among member-nations, and New Delhi is engaged to forge a consensus on the issue.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, without naming any country, said some BRICS members are directly involved in the conflict, which has impacted finding a unified stance for the grouping. India is the current chair of the influential bloc, which recently expanded to include Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and some other countries.
Iran’s counter-offensive against the UAE and other Gulf nations following the February 28 US-Israel strikes on Iranian targets has triggered some disquiet within the grouping.
As the current chair of the BRICS, India is now navigating the challenge of finding a common position for the bloc on the conflict.
“Some members of the BRICS are directly involved in the current situation in the West Asia region, which has impacted forging a consensus on a common BRICS position on the ongoing conflict,” Jaiswal said at a media briefing.
He said India has been facilitating discussions among the BRICS members through the Sherpa channel. The last Sherpa meeting was held virtually on March 12.
“We are trying our best to develop a position, but because of differing positions, it has been difficult. In addition, our leadership is also engaged with member-countries of BRICS,” Jaiswal said.
“We continue to remain engaged with BRICS member-nations so that we can arrive at a position on this conflict,” he said.
The issue figured in a phone conversation between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, on Thursday night.
The BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
The BRICS has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.
