New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said “India supports dialogue and diplomacy… and not war” as he spoke at a closed-door plenary session of the BRICS Summit in Russia.

Mr Modi – who on Tuesday told Russia’s Vladimir Putin, whose country is at war with Ukraine, that “all conflict can be solved with dialogue” – emphasised his concern today and told the bloc of multiple challenges facing its members and the world at large, and called for action on those fronts instead.

“Our meeting is taking place at a time, when the world is facing several pressing challenges. The world is also talking about the North-South and East-West divides. At this time, preventing inflation… ensuring food, energy, health, and water security… these are matters of priority. And, in this era of technology, new challenges have emerged, like misinformation (spread online) and cyber frauds like deepfakes…”

“At such a time, there are high expectations of the BRICS grouping and I believe that we, as a diverse and inclusive platform, can play a positive role in all these areas,” the PM said.

“In this regard, our approach must remain people centric. We have to tell the world BRICS is not divisive and that we support dialogue and diplomacy, and not war …” Mr Modi said.

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As an example, the Prime Minister pointed to the pandemic and how BRICS (which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the founding members) worked together, and said, “Just as we were able to overcome Covid, we can create ensure a secure, strong, and prosperous future…”

The global war on terrorism – a particular focus of the Modi government – was also flagged.

“In order to counter terrorism and terror-financing, we need the single-minded and firm support of all… there is no place for double standards on this serious matter,” Mr Modi asserted.

“We need to take active steps to stop radicalisation of youth in our countries.”

PM’s UN Reforms Push

The PM also pitched for reforms of global institutions like the United Nations Security Council.

“We should move forward in a timely manner for reforms in global institutions like UNSC, multilateral development banks, and World Trade Organization,” he said, while also cautioning BRICS members and partners against wanting to replace these institutions instead of reforming them.

On New BRICS’ ‘Partner Countries’

On the introduction of ‘partner countries’ like Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates, Mr Modi said he was happy the “extended family” is meeting for the first time. “In this regard all decisions should be taken by consensus,” he said, adding, “Guiding principles, standards, and procedures adopted at Johannesburg Summit should be followed by all member and partner countries.”

Prime Minister Modi also expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for hosting the BRICS Summit in Kazan and for his leadership of the bloc over the past 12 months.

India and Russia share a “special and privileged strategic partnership”, the PM said.

Russia has touted the BRICS Summit as a diplomatic triumph that shows Western attempts to isolate Moscow over the Ukraine conflict have failed. The United States has dismissed BRICS as a “geopolitical rival” but is concerned over Moscow flexing diplomatic muscles as the Ukraine war rages.

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