 "FILE - From left, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira attend the Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Maxim Shemetov, Pool Photo via AP, File)")
Diplomats from the BRICS countries have reportedly agreed to a common declaration to be tabled at the Rio de Janeiro leaders’ summit in a sign of unity and consensus among the diverse group.
News agency Reuters reported that the breakthrough came after a similar attempt fell flat in April during the meeting of BRICS foreign ministers.
The agreement on a common declaration is a major step, especially as world powers get divided on various global issues and the group becomes more diverse with new members coming in.
For instance, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates last year joined the five initial members of the BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
To bridge internal divides, BRICS members reportedly agreed to back Brazil and India for permanent seats on a reformed UN Security Council.
However, the question of Africa’s representation remains unresolved, with no member endorsed to champion the continent’s interests.
Sources also indicate that BRICS is poised to take a firmer stance on issues of West Asia, moving beyond vague expressions of concern to more precise language in its final communique.
On the economic front, the group is expected to continue criticising protectionist trade policies, particularly the US tariffs introduced under President Donald Trump.
In April, BRICS ministers condemned “unjustified unilateral protectionist actions,” a sentiment likely to be reiterated at this week’s summit.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsStark contrast with G7
This cohesion within BRICS stands in stark contrast to the recent G7 summit in Canada, where Western unity on supporting Ukraine against Russia seemingly collapsed .
The G7 meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta, ended on June 17 without a joint statement condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine, now over three years old.
Efforts to push for peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin have stalled, despite unprecedented sanctions. Notably, Trump, who took office earlier this year, refused to sign a declaration with strong language against Russia’s invasion and has neither imposed new sanctions nor committed more than $50 million in additional weapons aid to Ukraine.