Differences at recent BRICS meet in Delhi were on account of ongoing conflict in West Asia: MEA

New Delhi: India recently chaired a meeting of BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys on the Middle East and North Africa (BRICS MENA) in New Delhi, with the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday saying that a consensus could not be reached as there were differences on account of the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

The current conflict in West Asia began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine launched military strikes on Iran, and Tehran retaliated by attacking Gulf states hosting US bases.

At an inter-ministerial briefing here on the West Asia situation, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked what India's position is on the Palestine issue, given some reports claiming that New Delhi apparently 'diluted' its long-standing position on Palestine during the BRICS meeting held last week, which may have led to a lack of consensus.

"Let me clarify the issue for you... We have seen some speculative and inaccurate reporting on the recent BRICS officials' meeting," Jaiswal told reporters.

The MEA spokesperson urged reporters to refer to the joint statement released on the occasion of the India Arab League Foreign Ministers meeting earlier this year. "This meeting happened in Delhi. This outcome was endorsed by all present, including Palestine," he added.

It may be noted that many BRICS members also attended the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit, supported the Gaza Peace plan and UN Security Council Resolution 2803, Jaiswal said.

The Sharm el-Sheikh summit in October last paved the way for ending the Israeli military offensive in Gaza. The summit culminated in the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

Jaiswal added that "differences at the recent BRICS meeting were on account of the ongoing conflict in West Asia".

A "chair summary" was issued after the meeting, as a joint statement "could not be reached", Jaiswal said at the briefing.

India is the current chair of the BRICS grouping.

Official sources on Sunday had said that sharp differences among the BRICS member states over the US-Israel war on Iran stalled India's efforts to build a consensus position on the conflict during the BRICS MENA meeting here last week.

There was no change in India's position on the Palestine issue at all, they had said.

As consensus on the West Asia conflict eluded, a "chair's statement" was released at the end of the deliberations.

During the BRICS MENA meeting, the participants expressed "deep concern" about the situation in the Middle East and also discussed the Palestine issue and the Gaza situation, the MEA had said on Friday.