New Delhi: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is unlikely to travel to New Delhi next week for the foreign ministers’ meeting of the BRICS grouping. China is likely to send one of Wang’s Deputy Foreign Ministers to the summit.
Beijing is hosting US President Donald Trump on 14 and 15 May. The BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting is likely to be hosted by India on the same dates, with invitations already sent to the grouping’s members.
The BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting will, however, likely be the first time that senior representatives from Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia meet face-to-face since hostilities broke out in West Asia at the end of February.
India currently chairs the intergovernmental organization, and the leaders’ summit is expected to be held in the first-half of September. The grouping includes the five original BRICS members—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—and six new members who joined in 2023, including Ethiopia, Indonesia, the UAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed that he will be travelling to New Delhi for the meeting. The grouping have been unable to issue a joint statement on the war in West Asia due to the differences between the UAE and Iran.
A meeting of the special envoys and deputy foreign ministers on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) last month hosted by New Delhi, was unable to find consensus between the countries.
However, India released a chair statement, where members “expressed deep concern” over the conflict in West Asia, and “offered views and assessments on the matter.” The meeting of the grouping on MENA promised to meet again next year under China’s chairship, indicating the inability of different countries to come to any semblance of a consensus regarding the war in West Asia.
The UAE has faced the brunt of Iran’s retaliation during the roughly 40 days of active warfare between Tehran, Tel Aviv and Washington. A fragile ceasefire has continued for almost a month since 8 April. However, on Monday the UAE accused Iran of launching 19 missiles and drones at its territory. The strikes left three Indians injured.
Iran is currently facing a US naval blockade. The US Monday launched “Project Freedom” which envisages the usage of guided missile destroyers to aid merchant vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The global waterway has been effectively closed by Iran since the end of February impacting international energy supplies.
Pakistan has been mediating between Iran and the US to find a peaceful settlement to the conflict. One round of direct negotiations took place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on 11 April. A second round of negotiations failed to materialise due to Iran’s position that talks cannot occur while the US continues with its naval blockade.
China has been a key economic partner of Iran for the last few years. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Wednesday, as Beijing is keen to step up its diplomatic efforts in the region ahead of Trump’s visit to China next week.
India is also likely to host American Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the last week of May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to the UAE for a quick visit on 15 May, before travelling to four European countries, as India continues to engage with different countries in the region.
(Edited by Shashank Kishan)
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