BRICS to respect sovereignty

New Delhi: Committing to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, the five-nation Virtual 14th BRICS Summit hosted by China on Thursday evening discussed the situation in Ukraine and supported talks between Russia and Ukraine to resolve the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, while lashing out at the West for sanctions against Russia, blamed the “ill-conceived and selfish actions of certain states, which, by using financial mechanisms, are actually shifting their own macroeconomic policy mistakes onto the rest of the world.”

Speaking at the summit featuring Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Putin said that this had led to a critical situation in the world economy which could be rectified only “on the basis of honest and mutually beneficial cooperation” among the BRICS nations.

In another harsh criticism of the West, Chinese President Xi Jinping, the host, “urged the world to reject the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation, oppose unilateral sanctions  and abuse of sanctions and  reject the small circles built around hegemonism by forming one big family belonging to a community with a shared future for humanity”.

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the five BRICS countries, “have had a very similar view of the governance of the global economy. He said that mutual cooperation such as establishment of vaccine R&D centre, coordination among customs departments, establishment of shared satellite constellation, mutual recognition of pharma products had made BRICS “a unique international organisation whose focus is not just limited to dialogue.”

The summit, held under the theme ’Foster High Quality BRICS Partnership, Usher in a New Era for Global Development’, discussed post-Covid global economic recovery and the steps taken by BRICS in detail. It condemned terrorism including cross-border terror, one of India’s key concerns, though no specific terrorist organisation was named.

The summit urged major developed countries to adopt responsible economic policies, while managing policy spillovers, to avoid severe impacts on developing countries. It decided to enhance macro-economic policy coordination, deepen economic practical cooperation, and work to realise strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive post-Covid economic recovery.

It reaffirmed the BRICS commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development “in all its three dimensions - economic, social and environmental - in a balanced and integrated manner.”      

The virtual summit was also attended by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

The Beijing Declaration adopted in the summit stated, “We commit to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States, stress our commitment to the peaceful resolution of differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises.  We have discussed the situation in Ukraine and recall our national positions as expressed at the appropriate fora, namely the UNSC and UNGA. We support talks between Russia and Ukraine. We have also discussed our concerns over the humanitarian situation in and around Ukraine and expressed our support to efforts of the UN Secretary-General, UN Agencies and ICRC to provide humanitarian assistance in accordance with the basic principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality established in UN General Assembly resolution 46/182.”

Chinese President Xi in his opening remarks said, “Facing the formidable and complex circumstances, the BRICS countries have embraced the the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, enhanced solidarity and coordination and  jointly tackled the challenges. He added that BRICS countries, as important emerging markets and major developing countries, need to act with a sense of responsibility to bring positive, stabilizing and  constructive strength to the world, adding that the BRICS also needs to speak out for equity and  justice and  encourage the international community to practice true multilateralism.

Russian President Mr. Putin said the world needs the BRICS countries’ leadership in defining a unifying and positive course for forming a truly multipolar system of interstate relations based on the universal norms of international law and the key principles of the UN Charter and that “we can count on support from many states in Asia, Africa and Latin America, which are seeking to pursue an independent policy”.

The Beijing Declaration stated, “We commit to strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation to intensify the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR) and collectively create new opportunities for development.”