​Building blocks: on the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan  

The BRICS Summit showed that Russia was not without friends

Russia’s hosting of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan had several messages, watched closely by particularly the western countries. This was the biggest such conference in Russia since the Ukraine war began in 2022. With leaders of nine countries (and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister) arriving as BRICS and BRICS partner countries, and about 30 leaders of the Global South attending a special BRICS outreach conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin dispelled any notion that Russia had been “isolated” due to Ukraine. The summit agenda and the Kazan Declaration sent a concerted message on strengthening economic bonds within the group that together represents a third of global GDP, in a signal that unilateral sanctions against members — Russia and Iran, for instance — are not acceptable to all. Among the agreements, the push for an interbank cooperation mechanism, a grain exchange, a cross-border payment system and insurance company, and growth of the BRICS New Development Bank, indicate the intent to seek alternatives to the prevailing international governance structures. The induction of members, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, is another sign that the counter-balancing arrangement of emerging economies that BRICS was envisaged as, cannot be mocked. While many BRICS countries have strong ties with the U.S. and Europe, it is clear that they feel that the present institutions of global governance are skewed unfairly towards the “old guard” of the West.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement at the closed plenary sought to allay some concerns about this challenge, describing BRICS as an inclusive, “not a divisive organisation but one that works in the interest of humanity”. Given that India is the only member of BRICS that is also a part of U.S.-led arrangements (the Quad and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework), this is a necessary balance. His oft-repeated phrases, that India supports “dialogue and diplomacy, not war”, and that there are “no solutions on the battlefield”, were a necessary reminder that all members do not completely align on geopolitics. It was significant in this context that India backed the strong paragraphs in the Declaration on Israel in Gaza and support for the state of Palestine. Apart from the substance of the summit, the BRICS grouping also affords its members a stage to discuss thorny bilateral issues, given differences between members, including Iran-UAE and Egypt-Ethiopia. The détentes between India and China over Doklam, and agreement on resolving the four-year LAC standoff, were both held in meetings between Mr. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the side-lines of BRICS summits.

Published - October 25, 2024 12:24 am IST