Leaders of the 11-member BRICS bloc, including China, Russia, Iran and India, have called for restraint and a reduction in tensions across the Middle East following the latest escalation in the region.
The appeal was contained in a joint statement issued on Saturday at the BRICS summit in New Delhi, after diplomatic efforts by India helped the member states overcome earlier disagreements and agree on a common position.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who joined Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders at the summit, said the ongoing conflict in the Middle East was not in the interest of the international community.
The BRICS foreign ministers had been unable to reach agreement on a joint statement when they met in New Delhi in May. Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had been divided over the conflict that began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
However, after further diplomatic engagements ahead of the leaders’ meeting, the bloc issued a joint statement as members seek to strengthen BRICS’ influence while addressing major issues including conflict, trade instability and energy security.
“We express deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in Middle East/West Asia,” the joint statement said, adding that member states “call for exercising maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation”.
BRICS was established in 2009 as a platform for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in international institutions traditionally dominated by Western powers.
Opening the two-day summit, Modi told Xi, Putin, Pezeshkian and other leaders that BRICS should work towards greater cooperation among its members.
“We have to transform this pyramid of privilege into a platform of partnership,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the leaders.
Modi said the bloc’s members account for 50 percent of the global population, 40 percent of global GDP and more than 25 percent of global trade.
Despite its growing influence, however, maintaining unity among BRICS members remains a significant diplomatic challenge because of their differing political, economic and strategic interests.
India, for instance, maintains relations with both Iran and Israel, a key US ally, while also seeking to preserve its important relationship with Washington.
Pezeshkian attended the summit after warning that the Middle East did not need the United States to act as a “regional policeman”. The conflict and rising tensions have also raised concerns over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
During the summit, the Iranian president held a meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the gathering.
India has also responded to the energy pressures created by the US-Iran conflict partly by increasing its reliance on Russian supplies, despite Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine and pressure from the United States and other Western countries.
Modi met with Putin on Friday and embraced the Russian leader ahead of their talks. Putin, who last visited India in December 2025, remains one of New Delhi’s major strategic partners.
Xi’s attendance at the summit has also attracted considerable attention because it represents his first visit to neighbouring India since 2019 and comes amid a cautious improvement in relations between the two nuclear-armed countries.
The Chinese president received a red-carpet welcome in New Delhi, including an honour guard and traditional dancers.
“Although our two countries are different in many respects, they are fully capable of complementing each other’s strengths, supporting one another, achieving mutual success and advancing together,” Xi said as he met Modi, according to a video released from New Delhi.
His visit comes six years after a deadly military confrontation along the disputed border between China and India. Relations have gradually improved since then, with flights, visas and high-level diplomatic contacts being restored.
However, the longstanding territorial dispute remains unresolved, and both countries continue to maintain significant military deployments along their approximately 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) high-altitude border.
India’s foreign ministry said following the meeting that the two leaders remained committed to resolving their boundary dispute.
“The two leaders expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question,” the ministry said.
Modi “underlined the need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border related issues,” the foreign ministry added.
Despite the gradual thaw, mistrust between the two countries persists, with their disputed Himalayan border, growing trade deficit and broader strategic competition continuing to affect bilateral relations.
Xi also called for deeper economic cooperation between the two countries and greater support for an inclusive global economic system.
“Both sides should… work hand-in-hand to promote high-quality major financial cooperation, advocate an equal and sustainable global order, and foster an economic globalisation that is open and inclusive,” Xi said.
Meanwhile, dozens of Tibetans protested in New Delhi on Friday against Xi’s visit. The protesters, who live in exile in India like Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, waved placards criticising the Chinese president.
Source: AFP
