New Delhi — Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (Economic Relations) at the Ministry of External Affairs, said Friday that BRICS foreign ministers found common ground on most issues across the grouping’s three main engagement areas.
Speaking at an MEA special briefing on the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Dalela noted that the meeting produced an Outcome Document, now published online, that runs to 63 paragraphs. As chair, India facilitated discussions and, he said, succeeded in building agreement on a wide range of topics.
“The outcome document is strong,” Dalela said, highlighting convergence on global governance reform, agriculture, health, United Nations Security Council issues, and counterterrorism. He also pointed to shared language on climate change and on advancing human-centric approaches to artificial intelligence.
Dalela urged stakeholders to study the outcome document carefully, saying it provides a solid foundation for preparations ahead of the BRICS summit later this year. He noted more than 20 thematic ministerial tracks are scheduled to convene and will feed into the summit, and expressed confidence that consensus-building will continue through those channels.
On regional tensions in West Asia, Dalela acknowledged that ministers expressed differing assessments. Nevertheless, delegations commonly emphasized the need for an early resolution, diplomacy, respect for sovereignty, and the protection of safe maritime commerce. India, as chair, reflected those divergent views in the meeting record and said further engagement will occur through Sherpa-level consultations to try to narrow remaining differences.
Regarding Palestine, Dalela said ministers reiterated a long-standing BRICS position calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. He described this as a continuation of the grouping’s coherent stance rather than a change in policy.
The meeting also included a discussion of the global economic outlook and the unequal impact of shocks on developing countries. Dalela said ministers voiced concern about unilateral trade measures and their disproportionate effects on the developing world, reaffirming BRICS’ support for a rule-based, non-discriminatory, and inclusive multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core.
The Chair’s Statement and Outcome Document referenced a challenging global context marked by polarization and distrust, and called for international efforts to strengthen peace and security through political and diplomatic means. Ministers urged the international community to prioritize conflict prevention, address root causes of crises, and use diplomacy, consultation, and dialogue to peacefully resolve disputes.
The statement underscored that security is indivisible and encouraged active roles for regional organizations in conflict prevention and resolution. It highlighted preventive diplomacy and mediation—with the consent of relevant parties—as key tools to avoid escalation, and called for exploring cooperation on preventing armed conflicts, UN peacekeeping, African Union peace support operations, and mediation and peace processes.
(The reporting draws on the MEA briefing and the BRICS meeting outcome documents via ANI. The Tribune republishes syndicated content as received and does not assume responsibility for its completeness or accuracy.)
