A meeting of senior BRICS officials hosted by India last week was unable to come up with a consensus document due to sharp differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates over the conflict in West Asia, people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
A meeting of Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys of Member States of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was held in New Delhi on April 23-24 in the run-up to the Foreign Ministers’ meeting scheduled for next month. The meeting focused on the current situation in West Asia, which India describes as its extended neighbourhood, in the context of the conflict sparked by Israel and the US attacks on Iran.
One of the people said that the meeting of senior BRICS officials “was unable to reach a consensus document because there was a sharp difference in positions between the members who are party to the conflict.” The sources said that Iran and the UAE were unable to overcome their differences over the conflict, as he called on the two countries to condemn the attacks on their lands.
These disagreements also hampered efforts to issue a BRICS statement on the Iran-US conflict.
“Efforts to close the gaps by all other member states have not been successful,” the person cited above said.
The sources also said that India’s position on the Palestinian issue at last week’s BRICS meeting was in line with the position adopted at the Indian and Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting on January 26, when New Delhi reiterated its support for the two-state solution.
The people noted that several BRICS member states supported or attended the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh in October 2025 and UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which endorses the US-backed “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict,” and said these were among the notable developments in West Asia in the past year.
The meeting of BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys concluded on April 24 with India issuing a President’s Statement, as there was no consensus on an outcome document. Members of the gathering expressed their “deep concern” about the conflict in the Middle East, and discussions addressed the Palestinian issue and the situation in Gaza, including the provision of humanitarian aid, the role of UNRWA, and a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism.
The meeting also welcomed the ceasefire in Lebanon, stressed the unacceptability of attacks on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and discussed post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation in Syria. Political settlement in Yemen; Stability and development in Iraq; The political process in Libya; And the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
The members agreed to meet again under China’s presidency in 2027.
