The BRICS group of nations unanimously adopted a joint statement, emphasizing the need to work together to maintain a smooth flow of global trade, supply chains and energy. The BRICS group of nations unanimously adopted a joint statement, emphasizing the need to work together to maintain a smooth flow of global trade, supply chains and energy. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is hosting the two-day meeting. in New Delhi, made the announcement on Saturday after the launch of the summit. Recommended stories list of 3 topicsend of listThe presidency has fallen to New Delhi at a difficult time, with wars in the Middle East and Ukraine disrupting energy and shipping, tariffs putting pressure on members, and members at odds over how to respond to any of the challenges. The expansion of non-Western cross-border payment channels and cooperation in artificial intelligence are also key topics on the agenda. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were among those in attendance. President Xi arrived in the Indian capital on Saturday morning, his first visit to the country in seven years as the two Asian giants seek to thaw relations. He said fighting in the Middle East does not serve the world’s interests, Chinese state media reports. “As the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region continues to evolve, the war there has caused serious losses to the population of the entire region.” Xinhua quoted Xi as saying: “It does not serve the common interests of the international community,” Xi said. On Friday, Modi held talks with Putin (agreeing to deepen ties) and Pezeshkian, raising freedom of navigation and safety of ship crews. Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed and Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto are also present. The United Arab Emirates has sent the crown prince of Abu Dhabi as its representative. Brazil, a founding member, sent Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira to replace President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The heads of the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are also present in India for the summit. Key divisions Iran and the United Arab Emirates, both members, are on opposite sides of the war waged against Iran by the United States and Israel. At last year’s summit, the bloc issued a joint statement condemning the 12 days. American-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran’s leadership and nuclear program. But a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in May this year ended without a joint statement on the conflict. The bloc’s finance ministers and central bank governors have opposed tariffs and non-tariff measures that they say distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules. The United States has applied tariffs to several members of the bloc under different pretexts, often conditioning their removal on policy changes by the target country. President Donald Trump has described the bloc as “un-American” and threatened to impose punitive tariffs on countries that align with him. “As host, New Delhi has to do a delicate balancing act,” says Al Jazeera’s Um-e-Kulsoom Shariff, reporting from New Delhi. “It has pressing issues to address: trade, finance, technology, energy security, resilient supply chains and climate change. But as the alliance celebrates its 20th anniversary, the main test is whether its newly expanded membership can further empower the Global South.”
