BRICS ministers condemn sanctions
The meeting of the foreign ministers of BRICS, which took place in Delhi, ended without a joint declaration, as the members were sparring over the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Mostly, the differences came up between Iran and the UAE, say sources. However, members did underscore the importance of cross-border payments and also condemned unilateral sanctions.
Meanwhile, the ministers condemned the imposition of unilateral coercive measures that, they said, were contrary to international law. They reiterated that such measures, inter alia, in the form of unilateral economic sanctions and secondary sanctions, have far-reaching negative implications for the human rights, including the rights to development, health and food security, of the general population of targeted states.
“The ministers called for the elimination of such unlawful measures, which undermined international law and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter,” read the statement. “They reaffirmed that BRICS member states do not impose or support non-UN Security Council-authorised sanctions that are contrary to international law”.
Russia and Iran are facing sanctions amongst members of the group, while other countries (including India) have faced the threat of high tariffs on the purchase of oil from Russia.
“The ministers underscored the importance of the efforts to facilitate fast, low-cost, more accessible, efficient, transparent and safe cross-border payments among BRICS countries and other nations, which can support greater trade and investment flows,” read the chair statement and outcome document. “In this regard, they encouraged the continuation of discussions of the BRICS cross-border payments initiative and the reinforcement of the BRICS reinsurance capacity”.
BRICS, an inter-governmental organisation, comprises 11 members – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia.
The foreign ministers’ meeting, hosted by India (the present chair of the BRICS Presidency), aimed to address major global and regional matters, including the need for a swift resolution to the West Asia crisis and adherence to international law. India has held nearly 100 meetings under its Presidency (virtual and in-person) and will host a Summit later this year.
Chair document
At the end of the meeting, India brought out a 63-point chair document. Some points had footnotes, which some members are said to have reservations about. For instance, paragraph 26 read: “The ministers recalled that the Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the occupied Palestinian territory. They underlined, in this regard, the importance of unifying the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under the Palestinian Authority and reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent state of Palestine. They called on the international community to support the Palestinian Authority in undertaking reforms to fulfil the Palestinians’ legitimate aspirations for independence and statehood.
A member (sources say, the UAE) had reservations on some aspects of this paragraph.
“The ministers stressed the importance of ensuring the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms of vessels of all states in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait, in accordance with international law,” read point 29 of the statement. “They encouraged enhanced diplomatic efforts by all parties to that end, including by addressing the causes of the conflict and continued support for dialogue and Yemen’s peace process under UN auspices. They further underscored the urgency of addressing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, including food security and access to basic services. They stressed the need that efforts to achieve long-term stability, prosperity and security require the roles and contributions of countries of the region”.
“Glad to have interacted with foreign ministers and heads of delegation of BRICS countries,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “BRICS has emerged as an important platform for advancing co-operation among emerging economies and giving voice to the aspirations of the Global South. Under India’s chairmanship, this year, we will work together to strengthen multilateralism, promote sustainable development, enhance economic resilience and build a more inclusive world order”.
The attendees
Brazil: Mauro Vieira, minister, foreign affairs
Russia: Sergey Lavrov, minister, foreign affairs
India: S. Jaishankar, minister, external Affairs
China: Xu Feihong, ambassador to India, representing Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister)
South Africa: Ronald Lamola, minister, international relations & co-operation
Egypt: Badr Abdelatty, minister, foreign affairs
Ethiopia: Gedion Timothewos Hessebon, minister, foreign affairs
Iran: Abbas Araghchi, minister, foreign affairs
The UAE: Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, minister of state, foreign affairs
Indonesia: Sugiono, minister, foreign affairs