New Delhi: The BRICS Summit was a huge success as India managed to bring all member countries together and build consensus on the Delhi Declaration, Fellow at the Chintan Research Foundation Indrani Talukdar said on Tuesday, stressing that the outcome has also created greater responsibility for India to capitalise on the goodwill it has gathered.
Speaking on the significance of the BRICS Summit, Talukdar said the focus now needs to be on “optimizing and customizing” the opportunities emerging from the grouping. She said India has considerable work ahead, particularly given the goodwill generated through its engagement with BRICS members.
Talukdar highlighted the adoption of the Delhi Declaration as one of the key achievements of the summit. According to her, India’s ability to bring the member countries together and secure consensus on the declaration demonstrated the effectiveness of the summit and its significance for India’s foreign policy.
On whether BRICS could emerge as a stronger alternative voice to Western-led global institutions, Talukdar said several geopolitical developments would shape the grouping’s future priorities. She said the West Asian crisis is likely to receive considerable attention, with BRICS members as well as countries of the Global North seeking to work towards resolving the crisis and addressing issues surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
She also pointed to the continuing Ukraine conflict, saying that it cannot continue indefinitely. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s position that “this is not an era of war”, Talukdar said the ongoing conflict needs to come to an end.
Talukdar also spoke about the contribution of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) to India’s foreign policy discourse. Drawing on her experience as a former employee of ICWA, she said the institution has played an important role in adding value to the Indian narrative.
She said her own professional journey at ICWA had given her an opportunity to contribute towards strengthening India’s narrative. With India emerging as a powerful country, she said platforms such as ICWA have an important role to play in shaping and articulating the country’s perspective on global affairs.
Talukdar said the BRICS Summit itself represented a major event in India’s growing engagement with the international community.
(IANS)
