A mega global event like BRICS Summit is also a huge branding exercise for two elements/players --
Narendra Modi's India and also for Bharat's Namo.
But all that cannot happen/come just because of your wishlist.
Some western journalists did not miss the point that notwithstanding Covid and now the post-war crisis; India has been experiencing consumer boom. The rise in online business is pretty good and so is the digital payments.
There is a sign of India's growing 'influence' and as a few foreign officials remarked - something has changed.
So - lot of homework and maneuvering persisted. Before the Declarataion was prepared Moscow was 'clear' that language of the statement should not be interpreted through the lens of the Ukraine war.
Simply finding finding consensus was a tough assignment.
The expanded BRICS - started with four countries later had South Africa added. But now it has countries that are themselves on opposing sides of regional and global disputes.
Iran and the UAE have different stances on the West Asia conflict.
Saudi Arabia too wanted its views to be respected.
China is always ambitions -- the uncle-bully for BRICS and the Global South.
While India wants BRICS as a potential bridge between the developing world and the US-led US; it wanted to appear as friends to Russia, Iran and China too.
Beijing sought to expand BRICS influence as a counterweight to the United States.
For the chairman, any formulation that endorsed Iran's position risked alienating UAE.
Iran wanted the declaration to slam YS for the unilateral attack its territory and this to to be called a violation of the UN Charter.
The UAE said the statement must condemn Iranian attacks on its sovereignty.
Some officials from different including Brazil, South Africa and Malaysia at one point offered to 'help'.
A few officers from the MEA slogged for hours to ensure that the Delhi Declaration was near unanimous. There was also an expectation element -- many leaders and their delegation members stated that in today's situation India is one of most sought-after players not only in the BRICS but also in the comity of nations.
It was pretty hard work and 'experience' that came to the rescue.
A phrase – “recalling respective national positions" – was discovered and it was critical.
At the end of the day -each nation thought they have 'retained' their individual positions without forcing BRICS to endorse so-called any singular narrative.
The final declaration says, “We express deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in Middle East/West Asia and, recalling our respective national positions, call for exercising maximum restraint...".
This was a winner.
Insiders say -- ".. the fact of the matter is at BRICS Delhi in year 2026; not many countries are in a position to say No to New Delhi".
Somehow the good luck element also worked.
The 'diplomatic efforts' by Indian officials working for consensus on the draft was helped as in Delhi - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
This brought down the tension. Tehran and Abu Dhabi seized a 'new channel' and perhaps not expected earlier --- for the two sides to discuss regional de-escalation.
Such things were reported in 2023 during G-20 meet too.
"Watered-down G20 statement on Ukraine is sign of India’s growing influence" -- Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor, 'The Guardian' had said.
This year too at the level of BRICS; for India, striking consensus for the joint statement was an important marker of its diplomatic heft.
In more ways than one, India now eyes its role as a neutral arbiter in the ongoing global conflicts especially between UKraine and Russia.
Putin’s visit marked his first in-person participation at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.
EAM Dr S Jaishankar visited Kyiv this month and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he was “grateful to India for its commitment to ending this unjust war”.
Going into any summit, a few options confront the leaders and diplomats:
** No declaration at all.
** the lowest-common-denominator statement based on consensus
And third 'a Declaration' with footnotes allowing some countries to disown parts of the agreement.
Team Modi and the diplomats who slogged can draw a major satisfaction - that the Declaration was unanimous.
In the end, the famous and not so famous people worked backstage.
And this made the Delhi Declaration -- finally a semi-dream come true. f that's a consolation - let it be.
ends
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