“India supports dialogue and diplomacy… not war,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at a closed-door plenary session of the BRICS summit in Russia on Wednesday, said.
Mr Modi – who on Tuesday told Russia’s Vladimir Putin, whose country is at war with Ukraine, that “all conflicts can be resolved through dialogue” – today told the bloc that in front of BRICS members and the world There are many challenges, and calls for action on those fronts instead.
“Stopping inflation… ensuring food, energy, health and water security… these are priority matters for all countries in the world. And, in this age of technology, new challenges such as the spread of misinformation (online) have emerged. And cyber frauds like deepfakes…
“At such a time, there are great expectations from 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 that BRICS is not divisive and we support dialogue and diplomacy, not war…” Mr Modi said.
As an example, the Prime Minister pointed to the pandemic and how BRICS countries worked together, saying, “Just as we were able to overcome a challenge like COVID together, we will be able to build a safe , can create new opportunities to ensure a strong and prosperous future.” ,
The global war on terrorism – a special focus of the Modi government – was also flagged.
Mr Modi said, “To combat terrorism and terror-financing, we need the single-minded and resolute support of all… There is no room for double standards on this serious matter.”
“We need to take active steps to prevent radicalization of youth in our countries.”
On the introduction of new member countries – Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates – Mr Modi said, “India is ready to welcome new countries as ‘partner countries’.”
“All decisions in this regard should be taken by consensus,” he said. However, he added, “the views of the founding members of BRICS should be respected.”
Prime Minister Modi also expressed his gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for hosting the BRICS summit in Kazan and for his leadership of the bloc over the last 12 months.
