BRICS meeting in New York ends without a joint statement

The recent meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New York, which took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, ended for the first time since the group's inception without a joint statement. The difficulties in reaching a consensus, particularly since the inclusion of new members last year, became apparent. The meeting, from which an extensive document on various topics including the Middle East conflict, plans for a common currency, and the admission of additional BRICS countries was expected, ultimately resulted in a deadlock. Reports from the Brazilian news portal UOL, confirmed by the South China Morning Post, suggest that the lack of agreement among the members was the cause. The missed consensus also pertained to the ambitious efforts by India, Brazil, and South Africa for permanent seats on the UN Security Council. Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, who chaired the meeting, decided to end the assembly after Egypt and Ethiopia refused to sign the communiqué. The two countries held the view that no consensus had yet been reached on which country should represent Africa on the highest UN body. Vieira's communications chief, Joel Souza Pinto Sampaio, confirmed the deadlock without providing further details. "Our Sherpas will continue to work on reaching a consensus by the summit in Kazan next month," he added. While Russian and Turkish representatives plan separate talks with Egypt and Ethiopia, the outcome of the BRICS sessions remains uncertain. Moscow and New Delhi have thus far made no statements. The BRICS summit, scheduled to take place from October 22 to 24, will be the second since the group's expansion. There are indications that reaching a consensus is becoming more challenging as increasing numbers of non-Western countries seek to join the alliance. Whether and how new members, including Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Turkey, will be admitted remains open. The significance of this meeting cannot be underestimated as more and more countries express interest in membership. Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned as early as June that 34 countries wish to join the alliance in some capacity.