Admitting that BRICS has not been able to forge a common position on the war in West Asia because some of its members are directly involved in it, India on Saturday confirmed that it is continuing discussions with member countries of the grouping to develop a common position on the conflict.
At an inter-ministerial briefing on the situation arising from the conflict, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, ‘’Some members of BRICS are directly involved in the current situation…this has obviously impacted forging a common BRICS position on the conflict’’
He said India as the Chair of the BRICS has been facilitating discussions among members of the 11-nation grouping through the ‘’Sherpa’’ channel. The last meeting of the BRICS ‘’Sherpas’’ was held virtually on 12 March.
The spokesperson said India has been trying its best to develop a common position but because of differing positions, a consensus has eluded the grouping so far. ‘’In addition, our leadership is in talks with BRICS member countries…we will continue to remain engaged with BRICS members to arrive at a common position.’’
The spokesperson’s remarks are significant since Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during a telephonic conversation with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday night, demanded that BRICS condemn the US-Israel attack on the Islamic nation.
BRICS is a major intergovernmental organisation that brings together 11 emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia. The grouping is struggling to issue a joint statement on the conflict due to internal divisions between Iran and the Gulf states (Saudi Arabia and the UAE), leaving it paralysed on taking a unified position. Tehran wants condemnation of the strikes while Gulf nations suffer from retaliatory strikes by Iran, creating sharp, contradictory internal pressure.