Russia remains hopeful that Brics member states will be able to bridge differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the West Asia conflict and achieve consensus in framing joint documents for the grouping’s summit to be hosted by India over the weekend, a key aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.
He also said Moscow stands ready to help Iran and the UAE, both friends of Russia, normalise their relations. “The UAE and Iran – understandably there are contradictions in their positions and understandably they’re now experiencing problems in their bilateral relations,” Peskov said. Peskov referred to the three pillars of cooperation within Brics and said there numerous initiatives to take forward collaboration in crucial areas such as security, space, reform of global institutions such as the UN , food security , technology and AI, including the creation of a “Brics brain exchange”, transportation and connectivity, energy, and healthcare. Referring to Brics as a “club” without any charter, he said, “Brics is for Brics members and Brics is for those countries who share the Brics ideology.
Peskov responded to a question from HT on differences between Iran and the UAE by saying the Russian side is hopeful the Brics member states will be able to come to an agreement on text that satisfies the interests of the two countries. “We stand for security in the region, we stand for mutual trust and we deny any aggressive actions in the region and we hope that sooner or later the situation will be normalised. And Brics is not against any third party.”
Brics Summit to Address Security and Economic Cooperation
The upcoming Brics Summit, scheduled for September 12-13, will emphasize collaboration in three key areas: politics and security, economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian exchanges, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. During a virtual media briefing from Moscow, Peskov outlined that joint initiatives aimed at combating drug trafficking and terrorism, as well as ensuring the security of communication and high-tech systems, will be significant agenda items.
Currently, Brics Sherpas are convening in New Delhi to finalize the leaders’ declaration that will be presented at the summit. However, sources indicate that disagreements persist between Iran and the UAE regarding references to the situation in West Asia within the declaration’s text.
