Reuters: Breakthrough Before the BRICS Summit! 11 Countries Reach Joint Statement on Sensitive Issues
Reuters, July 5 report, the BRICS countries have reached a key consensus on the joint statement for the upcoming leaders' summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, successfully resolving the deadlock that had prevented coordination of positions during the foreign ministers' meeting in April. This breakthrough comes after the organization's historic expansion last year - adding six new countries, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia, bringing the total membership to 11 - highlighting its determination to coordinate the positions of an increasingly diversified Global South. Sources said that negotiations over the past week focused on three sensitive issues: the Gaza conflict, the Iran-Israel tension, and reform of the UN Security Council (especially African seats), and made progress in strengthening the wording on Middle East issues, with the statement surpassing the previous tone of "serious concern" from April. Regarding Security Council reform, sources confirmed that the group supports Brazil and India in their efforts to gain permanent seats, but remains open on the issue of African representation. In the economic field, the statement continues to criticize U.S. trade policies, explicitly warning against "unreasonable unilateral protectionist measures, including indiscriminate retaliatory tariffs," which is seen as targeting the tariff legacy of former U.S. President Trump. Ricardo Alves, president of the Brazilian Confederation of Industry (CNI), emphasized at the accompanying business forum of the summit: "The expanded BRICS represents 46% of the global population and 36% of the world economy, and this statement proves that we can speak with a unified voice in a complex geopolitical environment."
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