New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said “India supports dialogue and diplomacy… and not war” as he spoke at a closed-door plenary session of the BRICS Summit in Russia.
Mr Modi – who on Tuesday told Russia’s Vladimir Putin, whose country is at war with Ukraine, that “all conflict can be solved with dialogue” – today told the bloc there are multiple challenges facing BRICS members and the world at large, and called for action on those fronts instead.
“Preventing inflation… ensuring food, energy, health, and water security… these are matters of priority for all countries in the world. And, in this era of technology, new challenges have emerged, like misinformation (spread online) and cyber frauds like deepfakes…”
“At such a time, there are high expectations of the BRICS grouping and I believe that we, as a diverse and inclusive platform, can play a positive role in all these areas,” the PM said.
“In this regard, our approach must remain people centric. We have to tell the world BRICS is not divisive and that we support dialogue and diplomacy, and not war …” Mr Modi said.
As an example, the Prime Minister pointed to the pandemic and how BRICS nations worked together, and said, “Just as we were able to overcome a challenge like Covid together, we can create new opportunities to ensure a secure, strong, and prosperous future…”
The global war on terrorism – a particular focus of the Modi government – was also flagged.
“In order to counter terrorism and terror-financing, we need the single-minded and firm support of all… there is no place for double standards on this serious matter,” Mr Modi asserted.
“We need to take active steps to stop radicalisation of youth in our countries.”
On the introduction of new member-nations – Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates – Mr Modi said, “India is ready to welcome new nations as ‘partner countries’.”
“In this regard all decisions should be taken by consensus,” he said, adding, however, that “the views of BRICS founding members should be respected.”
Prime Minister Modi also expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for hosting the BRICS Summit in Kazan and for his leadership of the bloc over the past 12 months.
