BRICS nations reach consensus on joint New Delhi declaration after tense negotiations over West Asia

Negotiators at the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi have reached a consensus on a joint declaration, overcoming deep internal divisions to agree on common language regarding the escalating war in West Asia.

The agreement, which is scheduled to be made public at 4:00 PM local time on Saturday, September 12, marks a significant diplomatic breakthrough for the bloc. The joint statement is expected to condemn the unilateral imposition of war, though negotiators have managed this by avoiding naming any single country directly in the text.

Forging a unified statement has been a major hurdle for the expanded 11-member group. The bloc now includes nations with starkly opposing geopolitical alignments and direct involvement in the Middle East crisis, most notably Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Earlier this year, these deep rifts were so pronounced that a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers ended in deadlock, failing to produce a joint statement and forcing India to issue a basic "chair’s summary" instead.

For the host nation, the breakthrough is a notable diplomatic success. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hosting leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, has spent the summit pushing a familiar message: that "dialogue and diplomacy" must be the only path forward to resolve global conflicts. It is a line Modi repeated during his bilateral talks with Putin on the sidelines of the summit, where he reiterated that India remains ready to assist in any peace efforts.

New Delhi’s broader diplomatic strategy throughout the escalating regional crises has been to maintain open communication channels with all sides rather than taking a hard, binary stance. Throughout the drafting process, Indian negotiators have pushed for language that advocates for rapid de-escalation, respect for national sovereignty, the protection of civilians, and the safeguarding of critical commercial shipping lanes in contested waters.

While regional conflicts and the war involving Iran dominated the high-stakes negotiations behind the scenes, the final declaration also addresses the core economic goals of the bloc. The agreed text includes commitments on trade, financial connectivity, securing global supply chains, technology sharing, and reforming international financial institutions.

By getting 11 highly diverse countries to sign off on a single text, Indian officials have managed to steer the forum toward concrete policy outcomes, preventing the summit from devolving into a platform for empty political speeches.