Xi Jinping Urges BRICS to Play 'Due Role' in Bringing Peace to West Asia

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday urged BRICS countries to firmly stand on the right side of history and play their "due role" in bringing peace to West Asia, warning that the ongoing war in the region has inflicted serious losses on its people and runs counter to the common interests of the international community.

Addressing the grouping, Xi said the situation in West Asia and the Gulf region remains complex and fluid. He set out four propositions aimed at de-escalation, ending hostilities and promoting peace, and urged relevant parties to follow the direction of political settlement and work toward a permanent, comprehensive ceasefire. China, he said, will work with fellow BRICS members to help bring peace and tranquility to the region.

Marking 20 years of the grouping's journey, Xi described it as two decades of self-reliance and self-strengthening, during which BRICS nations have explored development paths suited to their own national conditions and set an example of unity among emerging markets and developing countries. He also called for BRICS to pioneer in innovative development, maintaining peace and stability, boosting mutual learning among civilizations, and improving global governance.

Xi urged member states to uphold a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and to oppose Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation. He said they should reject violations of other countries' sovereignty and interference in their internal affairs, and play a constructive role in resolving hotspot issues.

He stressed that the world is undergoing accelerated transformation unseen in a century, with the Global South rapidly growing in strength and the trend toward a multipolar world unstoppable. In remarks seen as veiled criticism of the United States, he said countercurrents of unilateralism and power politics are surging, multilateralism and the international order are coming under strain, and deficits in peace, development, security and governance continue to widen.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said partnership within BRICS is consistently built on the principles of equality, good-neighbourliness, and mutual consideration of interests, along with respect for one another's cultural and civilisational diversity, history, traditions and values. He said the credibility and influence of BRICS around the globe are steadily growing.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said sustainable security depends on full respect for national sovereignty and rejecting the model of security for some and insecurity for others. He said preventing the misuse of countries' territories to threaten their neighbours is an inviolable principle, and that BRICS must stand against the normalisation of attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities.