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The Hindu
32 minutes ago
- The Hindu
EAM Jaishankar meets counterparts from Russia, Iran, Mexico on sidelines of BRICS Summit
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has met his counterparts from Russia, Iran and Mexico and discussed bilateral cooperation and global issues. Mr. Jaishankar met these leaders on Sunday (July 6, 2025) the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Mr. Jaishankar, during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, discussed bilateral cooperation, West Asia, BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). "Good to meet with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia on the sidelines of #BRICS2025," Mr. Jaishankar posted on X. He also met his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi, and discussed regional developments. "Glad to meet FM @araghchi of Iran this [Sunday] evening. Our conversation focused on recent regional developments," Mr. Jaishankar said. During his meeting with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Juan Ramon de la Fuente, Jaishankar discussed the advancement of bilateral partnership, focusing on health, digital, technology and space. The BRICS has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5% of the global population, around 40% of the global GDP and around 26% of the global trade. BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
New Indian Express
35 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Trump vows extra 10 per cent tariff against countries 'aligning' with BRICS; bloc condemn 'indiscriminate' tariffs
Meanwhile, the BRICS leaders at a summit on Sunday took aim at US President Donald Trump's "indiscriminate" import tariffs and recent Israeli-US strikes on Iran. The 11 emerging nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa account for about half the world's population and 40 percent of global economic output. The bloc is divided about much, but found common cause when it comes to the mercurial US leader and his stop-start tariff wars -- even if it avoided naming him directly. In an indirect swipe at the U.S., the group's declaration raised 'serious concerns' about the rise of tariffs which it said were 'inconsistent with WTO (World Trade Organization) rules.' The BRICS added that those restrictions 'threaten reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty.' The group's declaration, which also took aim at Israel's military actions in the Middle East, also spared its member Russia from criticism and mentioned war-torn Ukraine just once. The two-day summit was marked by the absences of two of its most powerful members. China's President Xi Jinping did not attend a BRICS summit for the first time since he became his country's leader in 2012. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who spoke via videoconference, continues to mostly avoid traveling abroad due to an international arrest warrant issued after Russia invaded Ukraine. Earlier, BRICS also offered symbolic backing to fellow member Iran, condemning a series of military strikes on nuclear and other targets carried out by Israel and the United States. In his speech, Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi told leaders he had pushed for every member of the United Nations to condemn Israel strongly. He added Israel and the U.S. should be accountable for rights violations. The Iranian foreign minister said the aftermath of the war 'will not be limited' to one country. 'The entire region and beyond will be damaged,' Araghchi said. BRICS leaders also expressed 'grave concern' for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, called for the release of all hostages, a return to the negotiating table and reaffirmed their commitment to the two-state solution. (With inputs from AP)
The Wire
42 minutes ago
- The Wire
At Rio Summit, BRICS Hits Out at Tariffs, Iran Attacks and Gaza, but Stops Short of Naming US
New Delhi: As the United States prepares to notify its trade partners of revised tariff rates on their imports, the BRICS grouping of emerging economies, several of whom are engaged in trade talks with Washington, voiced 'serious concerns' over 'unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures,' but stopped short of directly naming Washington. US President Donald Trump has, meanwhile, issued a stark waring from White House. 'Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,' he posted on his social media platform, Truth Social. The leaders' joint statement, issued after the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, reflected the difficulty negotiators from the 11 members faced in agreeing on language that could reconcile competing national interests across a range of issues, from US trade policy and UN Security Council expansion to condemning Israel for Gaza conflict and the recent Iran-Israel escalation. India is among the five founding members of BRICS, alongside Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa. In 2024, the bloc expanded to include Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. Next year, India will be hosting the BRICS summit for the second time. While the heads of state of nearly half the member countries stayed away, key leaders present in Rio included Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping were both absent. This was Xi's first time skipping a BRICS summit since becoming president in 2013, while Putin's absence was linked to an International Criminal Court warrant. India and terrorism While global attention was largely fixed on how the BRICS bloc would respond to US tariff measures, India was more focused on the language in the joint statement concerning terrorism and United Nations Security Council reform. The leaders' declaration 'condemn[ed] in the strongest terms' the terror attack at Pahalgam on April 22, which India had blamed on Pakistan. The incident led to a four-day military exchange between the two countries, with India targeting what it described as terror infrastructure across the border. Although the BRICS statement did not explicitly name Pakistan, it reaffirmed the group's commitment to addressing the cross-border movement of terrorists, terror financing and safe havens. This language closely reflected the wording used in last year's Kazan declaration. Both statements called for 'zero tolerance' towards terrorism, rejected 'double standards' in its handling, reiterated support for the long-pending UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism proposed by India, and underlined that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality or ethnic identity. In his statement during the session on peace and security, Modi said that 'condemning terrorism must be a matter of principle, and not just of convenience'. 'If our response depends on where or against whom the attack occurred, it shall be a betrayal of humanity itself,' he added. In this image released by @MEAIndia via X on July 6, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a session on 'Peace and Security and Reform of Global Governance' during the 17th annual BRICS Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: Via PTI. India and UNSC The other issue highlighted by India is the UN Security Council reform. While BRICS declarations have routinely supported 'comprehensive reform' of the United Nations, this year's statement added that such reform should result in 'the amplified voice of the Global South'. It referred back to earlier declarations from the summits in Beijing and Johannesburg, which recorded the support of China and Russia – both permanent members of the Security Council, for the "aspirations of Brazil and India to play a greater role in the United Nations, including its Security Council." However, the declaration again stopped short of endorsing their candidacy for permanent seats. Negotiations over this paragraph were reportedly among the most difficult in the run-up to the BRICS summit, largely due to the group's recent expansion. Until 2023, South Africa had consistently been listed alongside Brazil and India as an aspirant for 'greater role' in UN. But with Egypt and Ethiopia now part of BRICS, African representation on the issue has become more complicated. Both Egypt and Ethiopia pushed for a formulation that acknowledged that the African Union had yet to decide on the continent's candidates for permanent seats, consistent with the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration. Trump The Rio summit also unfolded under the shadow of the United States' planned reimposition of tariffs, set to kick in from July 9. President Donald Trump had earlier warned of 100% duties on imports from BRICS countries if they pushed forward with alternatives to the dollar in global trade. In April, he announced new 'reciprocal' tariffs calibrated by country, including 26 percent for India, 30 percent for South Africa and 84 percent for China. These were put on hold for 90 days, during which several countries, including India, have accelerated trade talks to limit the impact. The BRICS countries voiced "serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures," warning that such actions are illegal and arbitrary. The joint statement described the 'indiscriminate rising of tariffs and non-tariff measures' as part of a wider trend of trade-restrictive practices that risk reducing global trade, disrupting supply chains, and creating uncertainty in the global economy. Despite the strong language, the declaration did not explicitly blame the United States. Analysts believe this omission reflected the host country Brazil's reluctance to provoke Washington. ' Brazil wants the least amount of damage possible and to avoid drawing the attention of the Trump administration to prevent any type of risk to the Brazilian economy,' Ana Garcia, a professor at the Rio de Janeiro Federal Rural University, told Associated Press. However, this cautious approach did not appear to placate Trump. In a social media post issued shortly after the summit, he threatened to impose fresh 10% tariffs on BRICS members. It is uncertain which 'anti-American' policies he was targeting. Earlier in the year, his warnings were triggered by reports of a proposed BRICS currency – an initiative that now appears sidelined, as there was no reference to it in the final text. 'Genocide' and other wars The BRICS joint statement also avoided identifying either Iran or the United States when it referred to recent attacks on Iranian 'civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities' as a 'violation of international law and relevant resolutions of the IAEA'. Nevertheless, this marked a slight shift in tone from the bloc's earlier statement issued on June 25, which had only expressed 'grave concern over the military strikes' against Iran. In contrast, the Rio de Janeiro declaration used the term 'condemn'. On the war in Ukraine, the declaration once again avoided any direct criticism of Russia. Instead, it backed diplomatic initiatives led by Brazil and China, and a group of African nations. The statement also referred to attacks on Russian regions such as Bryansk and Kursk, but did so without assigning blame or identifying the perpetrators. The most direct criticism in the statement was aimed at Israel. The leaders expressed 'grave concern' over the military operations in Gaza and 'denounced the Israeli attacks against humanitarian operations, facilities, personnel and distribution points.' Although the host Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had referred to the situation in Gaza as ' genocide ' in his remarks during the summit, that term did not appear in the final declaration. The BRICS joint statement echoed the language of a recent United Nations General Assembly resolution by condemning 'all violations of international humanitarian law, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare.' India had unexpectedly abstained on that resolution, which had led the opposition to accuse the government of losing moral compass. In addition, the bloc called on all parties to engage 'in good faith' to secure an 'immediate, comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza,' ensure the release of all hostages, withdraw Israeli forces fully, and allow unhindered access of humanitarian aid. The declaration also reaffirmed support for full UN membership for Palestine and reiterated BRICS' 'unwavering commitment to the two-state solution.' However, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi later stated on his official Telegram channel that Tehran had registered reservations about the reference to the two-state solution, as Iran does not recognise Israel. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
