How India pulled off BRICS consensus on Delhi declaration amid West Asia crisis

India pulled off a diplomatic victory at the Brics Summit on Saturday with the adoption of a consensus joint declaration despite divergences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the West Asia crisis, though the document was shorn of any references to the war and only spoke of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts.

The Brics leaders endorsed New Delhi’s long-standing position that “dialogue and diplomacy” are the only options to settle conflicts and stressed the need for joint efforts to ensure the flow of global trade and energy. The declaration was adopted on the opening day of the two-day summit, capping uncertainty created by the sharp divisions between Iran and the UAE that held up joint statements at several preparatory meetings in recent months. Brics operates on consensus, and objections from any member state could have blocked a joint declaration.

The crucial paragraph on West Asia expressed “deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions” in the region and called for maximum restraint and “avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation”. There was no direct reference to Iran in the context of the conflict, or the US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February that triggered the conflict.

Several factors contributed to India’s efforts to forge consensus on the joint declaration, including getting Iran and the UAE to shift from their earlier demands seeking condemnation of attacks on their territories, the Russian side seeking the toning down of language on conflicts that could be perceived as a reference to the situation in Ukraine, and renewed efforts by Iran to mend fences with key players in West Asia, the people said.