Reiterating his call for dialogue and diplomacy and not war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked for firm support from all BRICS members on the issue of terrorism, pointing out that there can be no "double standards" on this serious matter. "We support dialogue and diplomacy, not war".
And as we have overcome so far, such a challenge, like Covid, together, we are definitely capable of creating new opportunities to have a secure, strong, and prosperous future for generations to come," said PM Modi while speaking in the closed plenary of the 16th BRICS Summit in the Russian city of Kazan.
"In order to counter terrorism and terror financing, we need the single-minded, firm support of all. There is no room for double standards on this serious matter. We need to take proactive measures to halt the radicalization of youth in our countries. We must work together on the long-pending matter in the UN of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism," he added.
The summit meeting was very curt in its format and included within itself Russian President Vladimir Putin, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chinese President Xi Jinping, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Luis Ecker Vieira.
On the other hand, among other things, PM Modi said that the approach of the grouping must remain people-centric.
He said a message needs to go out that BRICS is not a "divisive" organisation but works in the interest of humanity. "Our meeting is taking place at a time when the world is facing several pressing challenges such as wars, economic uncertainty, climate change and terrorism. The world is talking about the North-South divide and the East-West divide.". Preventing inflation, ensuring food security, energy security, health security, and water security are matters of priority for all countries in the world.
"And, in this era of technology, new challenges have emerged such as cyber deepfake and disinformation. At such a time, there are high expectations of BRICS. I believe that as a diverse and inclusive platform, BRICS can play a positive role in all areas," he maintained. The BRICS alliance, the intergovernmental association unifying Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, inducted four new members as on January 1, 2024: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. Delivering his speech at the summit of the leaders, Prime Minister Modi said 'BRICS is an organization that welcomes change with the flow of time, and India is prepared to make room for the new members coming under BRICS as 'Partner Countries'.
"In this connection, all decisions should be taken through consensus, and the views of BRICS founding members should be respected. The guiding principles, standards, criteria, and procedures adopted during the Johannesburg summit should be complied with by all the members and the partner countries," said PM Modi while speaking at the BRICS fifth summit.
He said the BRICS grouping has been created by the confluence of various viewpoints and ideologies. Inspiration lies in the way these groupings foster cooperation in a positive manner in world affairs.
"The hopes, aspirations, and expectations of the countries of the Global South must also be kept in mind.
In our Voice of Global South Summits and G20 Presidency, India has brought to the global stage the voices of these countries. I am happy that all these efforts are now being furthered under BRICS also, PM Modi hoped. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also talked about collective voice for reforms of global institutions, including the UN Security Council, multilateral development banks, and the World Trade Organization.
