BRICS negotiators race to finalise Delhi Declaration as summit opens
Negotiators worked late on the Delhi Declaration with one paragraph unresolved, as PM Modi met Iran's President Pezeshkian and the WHO chief arrived for the BRICS Summit.
New Delhi is hosting a summit of 11 emerging economies, with negotiators working late into Friday evening to build consensus around the "Delhi Declaration", the summit's principal outcome document.
Diplomatic sources and officials said member countries had agreed on almost the entire text, with the exception of one paragraph. The outstanding language concerns the war in Iran initiated by the United States and Israel, along with Iran's attacks on installations in the United Arab Emirates and other West Asian countries.
Ahead of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday. Mr. Modi called for resolving the ongoing conflict with the United States through dialogue and diplomacy.
Speaking at a public event later in the evening, President Pezeshkian said his talks with Mr. Modi would help Iran's energy and commercial ties with India. He referred to Israel and the United States as "bullies" and said, "Iran will not be bullied."
On Saturday morning, World Health Organization chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in New Delhi, adding to the roster of international arrivals for the gathering.
With the city decked up and security tightened, the summit brings together leaders from across the BRICS grouping and its expanded membership, with the unresolved paragraph on West Asia emerging as the final hurdle before the declaration can be adopted.