New Delhi — After a two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers, India issued a Chair’s Statement and Outcome Document noting differences among members on the situation in West Asia and urging early, diplomatic resolution of the crisis. The 11-member grouping—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia—expressed a range of national positions on sovereignty, maritime security and protection of civilian infrastructure and lives.
The statement said ministers emphasized diplomacy, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, upholding international law, and safeguarding the safe, unimpeded flow of maritime commerce through international waterways. Many members also highlighted the recent developments’ impact on the global economy.
India’s release acknowledged that there were differing views among some members regarding the West Asia/Middle East situation. It recorded calls for dialogue and early crisis resolution, and for protecting civilians and critical infrastructure. The document also noted that one unnamed member state held reservations about parts of the section on Gaza.
The Chair’s text reaffirmed that the Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, underlined the importance of unifying the West Bank and Gaza under the Palestinian Authority, and reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, including the right to an independent State of Palestine. Ministers called on the international community to support Palestinian Authority reforms to help meet aspirations for independence and statehood.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, used the meeting to strongly criticize U.S. diplomacy, saying Washington remains a major obstacle to peace in the region and describing a deep trust deficit. Speaking in New Delhi after the talks, he said that after weeks of conflict the U.S. sought negotiations but that Tehran has “no trust in Americans.” The statement recalled that the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering retaliatory actions by Tehran that affected Israel and Gulf partners, including the UAE.
Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening BRICS across three pillars—political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people ties—and to the grouping’s principles of mutual respect, equality, solidarity, openness, inclusiveness and consensus. They thanked India for hosting the meeting, offered full support for India’s BRICS chairship in 2026, and looked ahead to the next foreign ministers’ meeting on the margins of UNGA 81, to be hosted by China as the incoming 2027 chair.
