New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) Several leading newspapers and publications across the world covered the successful 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi under India’s chairship.
India is hosting the two-day 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, which began on Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a major diplomatic breakthrough on Saturday, bringing BRICS members with sharply differing positions closer to a "strongly worded joint statement" despite divisions over the escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Japan Times reported.
“At a two-day summit that began in New Delhi on Saturday, the 10 full members and Saudi Arabia stopped short of naming countries, but called for restraint and for the avoidance of actions that ‘could further aggravate the situation.’ The declaration also raised ‘serious concern over deliberate attacks’ on civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities,” the report highlighted.
In his opening remarks at the BRICS leaders’ meeting, Prime Minister Modi urged the bloc to look ahead with an ambitious 20-year vision while creating mechanisms to ensure continuity and implementation of its decisions, Russian state-run news agency TASS reported.
"Today, BRICS has reached a moment of 'coming of age.' Over the past two decades, the grouping has shaped its unique identity on the global stage. We respect each other's positions and move forward based on consensus. We strive for development not through confrontation with anyone, but by involving everyone in the process. The time has come to transform our unity and consensus within BRICS into tangible results on the global stage," said PM Modi.
The international media outlet Al Jazeera reported that BRICS nations unanimously adopted a joint declaration calling for restraint in the Middle East and underscoring the importance of collective efforts to ensure the uninterrupted flow of global trade, supply chains and energy.
“The presidency of the 11-member bloc has passed to New Delhi at a difficult moment, with wars in the Middle East and Ukraine disrupting energy and shipping, tariffs squeezing members, and BRICS countries at odds over how to answer either challenge. Saturday’s declaration voiced ‘deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions’ across the Middle East, calling for ‘maximum restraint’ and warning against deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and on nuclear facilities, in particular,” the report noted.
The BRICS Business Forum served as a platform for business leaders, Ministers and Heads of State to exchange views on trade, investment, finance, technology and development challenges confronting the BRICS economies. It also facilitated discussions on recommendations put forward by the BRICS Business Council and played a key role in the bloc’s priorities, according to a report in Eurasia Review.
“Its conclusions and the Business Council’s recommendations are regularly reflected in BRICS Summit declarations and follow-up work plans, particularly in areas such as intra-BRICS trade, investment, the digital economy, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), standards cooperation and value chain integration,” the report mentioned.
Major US newspapers had also cast the BRICS summit in New Delhi as a window into a changing global order shaped by strained alliances, regional wars and growing competition between Washington and Beijing.
The New York Times in a news dispatch said the central question hanging over the summit was whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Chinese President Xi Jinping would emerge as the more influential voice of the developing world.
The Wall Street Journal said uncertainty in India’s and China’s relationships with the United States had created space for the two nuclear-armed neighbours to ease tensions.
--IANS
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