Summit | Brics states urge restraint in the Middle East

The participants of the Brics summit in India Photo: Alexander Kazakov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin via AP/dpa New Delhi.  With the approval of Iran and Arab members, the countries of the Brics group have called for maximum restraint in the Middle East conflict. The group of states is "deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions in the Middle East/West Asia," it said in a 140-point so-called statement from New Delhi, which was published on the first day of the Brics summit under the Indian chairmanship. 

In addition to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Iran, which is now a member of the alliance, also supported the appeal to exercise moderation and avoid measures that would aggravate the situation. The demand related, for example, to the Iran war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

At the end of the two-day meeting of heads of state and government on Sunday, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again warned of the risks posed by growing geopolitical tensions. These would have “significant negative and far-reaching effects on people’s lives.” 

The abbreviation Brics stands for the first letters of the first five members: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Iran now also belong to the group. 

The creation of a joint declaration at the 18th Brics Summit was seen as a sign of the ability to reach consensus among the very different members. In May, the differences within the group became clear: a meeting of foreign ministers ended without a joint statement. 

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are directly affected by the Iran war. Not only were the two Gulf states attacked by Iran, particularly in the early phase of the conflict. In the wake of the Iran war, the conflict in Yemen has flared up again. There, the Iran-backed Houthis are fighting against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. The current fighting is the heaviest fighting in years.

On the sidelines of the summit, the President of the Emirates, Mohammed bin Sajid, and his Iranian colleague Massoud Peseschkian met. There has never been such a high-level conversation between the two countries since the conflict began at the end of February. The Abu Dhabi media office said on X that it was about de-escalation, stability and efforts to promote peace and development in the region.

One of the goals of the Brics group, which also sees itself as a counterweight to the West, is to coordinate more closely on geopolitical issues. With regard to the situation in the Middle East, participants expressed their support for the ongoing efforts towards understanding. However, the actors in the Iran war are not named in the statement.

It is different with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for which the participants demanded a permanent solution. They were particularly vocal in their opposition to the forced expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and to changes in the geographical structure of the Gaza Strip.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's state and party leader Xi Jinping also took part in the summit in New Delhi. Xi called for greater commitment from member states to peace in the Middle East and the Gulf region. China is ready to play its part together with the Brics members in establishing peace and stability, he said in New Delhi.  dpa/nd

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