NEW DELHI: For the first time in 8 years, an Iranian president will visit India with Masoud Pezeshkian set to arrive in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS summit on Friday, amid escalating West Asia tensions that have cast a shadow over the summit. Shortly after his arrival, Pezeshkian will participate in the BRICS Business Forum meeting along with PM Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders before joining Modi for a bilateral in the evening.The last Iranian president to visit India was Hassan Rouhani in 2018. While Iran has confirmed participation by the president in the BRICS summit, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – both parties to the West Asia conflict along with Tehran – will be represented by foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Abu Dhabi crown prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan respectively.Pezeshkian is likely to reiterate his message before Modi for India to help end the war and suitably address Tehran’s concerns related to the current situation, including through a strong condemnation of “illegal aggression” against Iran, in the proposed BRICS declaration. In his meetings with both Putin and Pezeshkian on Friday, Modi is expected to stress the need for new members to subscribe to consensus in the grouping on critical issues and work together for a unified joint declaration.India agreed to the recent SCO Bishkek Declaration that condemned attacks on Iran. The declaration did not name the US or Israel though to prevent any resistance from members that have also cultivated ties with Washington.However, with the presence of UAE in BRICS, balancing the interests of both sides has not been easy for India’s BRICS chairship. It’s unlikely that the UAE will agree to an SCO-like formulation without seeking an explicit condemnation of Iranian attacks.
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Gulf states like the UAE and Saudi Arabia are only dialogue partners in SCO.India will prioritise the UN Charter, dialogue and diplomacy, freedom of navigation and civilian protection in the declaration. If the deadlock persists, the government will look to insulate economic agreements from the West Asia discord by acknowledging respective national positions.The BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting earlier this year ended without a consensual statement, with Tehran adamant on a condemnation of the alleged violation of international law by the US and Israel and accusing the UAE of being directly involved in aggression against Iran.
