BRICS leaders including China, Russia, India and Iran have called for “maximum restraint” over the escalating Middle East conflict, overcoming divisions within the expanding bloc to reach a rare consensus at their summit in New Delhi.
The joint statement issued after the first day of talks on Sept 12 said BRICS countries were “deeply concerned” about the continued escalation of tensions in the Middle East and West Asia.
“We express deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in Middle East/West Asia,” AFP cited the statement saying, adding that BRICS countries “call for exercising maximum restraint”.
The agreement came after BRICS foreign ministers failed to reach consensus on a joint statement in New Delhi in May, with Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates divided over the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Feb 28.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has sought to maintain relations with both Iran and US ally Israel, called for greater cooperation among the bloc’s members as leaders entered the second day of talks today.
“The power of BRICS lies in our diversity and cooperation,” Modi told leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We have tried to push inclusive global growth,” he said.
“We may be rooted in different realities, but together we rise through cooperation and blossom for humanity,” he added.
Modi said BRICS represents “50 per cent of the world’s population, 40 per cent of global GDP and more than 25 per cent of global trade”.
BRICS was established in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in global institutions traditionally dominated by Western powers.
The bloc is seeking to strengthen its global influence while addressing conflicts, trade tensions and energy security.
India has also turned to Russia to help manage the energy crisis stemming from the US-Iran war, despite pressure from Washington and other Western capitals.
Xi’s participation carries additional significance as it marks his first visit to neighbouring India since 2019 and the latest step in a cautious improvement in relations between the two nuclear-armed powers.
The thaw follows years of tensions, including a deadly military clash along their disputed Himalayan border in 2020.
As flights, visas and high-level contacts have gradually resumed, the underlying territorial dispute remains unresolved, with both countries maintaining substantial military deployments along their roughly 3,500km border.
“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 during his meeting with Modi, according to a video released by New Delhi.
India’s Foreign Ministry said afterwards that “the two leaders expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question”.
But strategic mistrust, a widening trade deficit and broader rivalry continue to complicate bilateral ties.
“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.
Xi’s visit also drew protests in New Delhi by dozens of Tibetans, many of whom live in exile in India after fleeing Chinese rule, including followers of the Dalai Lama, who left Tibet for India in 1959. - September 13, 2026
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