Russia will assume the presidency of the BRICS for one year on January 1, 2024.
Moscow:
India on Monday wholeheartedly welcomed Egypt, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia to join the BRICS, while their representatives attended for the first time a key meeting of the group organized by Russia .
Senior diplomat Dammu Ravi led the Indian delegation at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Nizhny Novgorod in western Russia.
“A meaningful meeting in the format of the extended BRICS family. India wholeheartedly welcomes the new members,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X.
Monday’s meeting was the first ministerial meeting after the BRICS expansion in 2023, when Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South as full members of BRICS.
Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations), MEA, led the Indian delegation at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Nizhny Novgorod, he said.
Normally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs participates in these meetings. As S Jaishankar was reappointed as Foreign Minister only on Monday, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony on Sunday, he was unable to come to Russia to participate in the meeting.
A joint statement issued after the meeting said BRICS foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the BRICS Strategic Partnership framework under the three pillars of cooperation – politics and security, economy and finance, cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
The ministers reiterated their commitment to multilateralism and the defense of international law, including the Purposes and Principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations (UN) as its indispensable cornerstone, and the central role of the UN in an international system in which States sovereigns cooperate to maintain international peace and security, promote sustainable development, ensure the promotion and protection of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.
They expressed their support for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient.
Ministers reaffirmed the important role of the G20 as the main forum for international economic cooperation and welcomed and supported the inclusion of the African Union as a member of the G20 at the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
The ministers reiterated that the consecutive G20 presidencies of India, Brazil and South Africa in 2023-2025 have laid a solid foundation for addressing inequalities, imbalances and deficiencies in the global economy, expressed support for continuity and collaboration in their G20 presidencies and wished success to all of you. in your efforts.
Expressing their concern about ongoing conflicts in many parts of the world, the ministers reiterated their commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes through diplomacy, inclusive dialogue and consultations in a coordinated and cooperative manner and supported all efforts leading to resolution peace from crises.
Ministers recalled their national positions regarding the situation in and around Ukraine, as expressed in appropriate fora, including the UN Security Council, and noted with appreciation relevant proposals for mediation and good offices aimed at peaceful resolution of the conflict through of dialogue and diplomacy, the statement said.
The BRICS ministers “expressed grave concern about the deteriorating situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular the unprecedented escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli military operation that led to the mass displacement of civilians, deaths and casualties, and destruction of civil infrastructure,” he said.
The ministers called for the effective implementation of UNSC resolution 2728 for an immediate, lasting and sustained ceasefire. They also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and civilians who are illegally held captive. They expressed great concern about Israel’s increasing attacks on Rafah, the statement said.
They reaffirmed their rejection of any attempt to forcibly displace, expel or transfer the Palestinian people from their lands.
They reaffirmed their support for Palestine’s full membership of the United Nations and reiterated their unwavering commitment to the vision of a two-state solution based on international law, including the relevant UNSC and UNGA resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative which includes the establishment of a sovereign and independent country. and viable Palestine, in line with the internationally recognized borders of June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side in peace and security with Israel.
Ministers stressed the need for an urgent peaceful solution in Afghanistan in order to strengthen regional security and stability.
They expressed strong condemnation of any acts of terrorism as “criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, when, where and by whom they are committed” and reaffirmed their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism and terrorism financing and safe havens.
“They reiterated that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group and that all those involved in terrorist activities and their support must be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with international law,” the statement said, adding that the Ministers urged to guarantee “zero tolerance to terrorism” and rejected double standards in the fight against terrorism.
Ministers expressed the need to comprehensively strengthen mechanisms to combat the increasing use, in a globalized society, by terrorists and their supporters of emerging and evolving technologies, such as the Internet and other information and communications technologies, including social media platforms. , for terrorist purposes.
They also called on all parties to fully implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement, the statement said.
They opposed unilateral protectionist measures, which deliberately disrupt global supply and production chains and distort competition, the statement said.
The ministers expressed their support for an “open, transparent, fair, inclusive, equitable, non-discriminatory and rules-based multilateral trading system” with the World Trade Organization at its core, with special and differential treatment (S&DT) for countries developing countries, including Least Developed Countries as a fundamental fundamental principle of the WTO.
The ministers also highlighted the importance of greater use of local currencies in commercial and financial transactions between BRICS countries.
Russia assumes the one-year BRICS presidency on January 1, 2024.
The Russian presidency features more than 250 diverse events, with the BRICS summit in Kazan in October 2024 being the central event, reported the official Russian news agency TASS.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
