Pezeshkian departs for New Delhi to attend 18th BRICS summit

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian departed Tehran for New Delhi on Friday to participate in the 18th BRICS summit, according to a report by Mehr News. Before leaving, he described the summit as an important opportunity to expand cooperation among member states and said the bloc has the capacity to counter unilateralism and enhance economic, trade, industrial and scientific collaboration.

During his visit, Pezeshkian is scheduled to attend and address the main BRICS leaders' meeting, the BRICS economic forum, and a closed session of BRICS leaders focused on inclusive global governance and strengthening multilateralism. He will also hold meetings with the prime minister of India, the prime minister of Malaysia, the president of South Africa and other leaders and officials attending the summit.

Pezeshkian noted that BRICS currently comprises 21 members, including 11 full members and 10 new members known as "BRICS Plus." He said the bloc accounts for more than 45 percent of the world's population and about 35 percent of the world's territory, with significant capacity across various fields. "The main goal of BRICS is to counter unilateralism, and efforts are focused on enabling countries to develop their economic and trade relations while preserving their independence," he said. This year's summit slogan is based on solidarity, sustainability, resistance and innovation.

On financial matters, Pezeshkian highlighted the creation of the BRICS bank to facilitate joint investment and activities among members, and stressed the importance of reducing dependence on the dollar in economic exchanges. "The effort is for countries to develop economically and regionally without dependence on the dollar, and to stand against unilateralism and the excessive demands of major powers," he said. He added that the presence of China, Russia, Brazil, India and other regional countries at the summit provides good capacity for developing bilateral and multilateral cooperation and consultations.

Pezeshkian also referred to Iran and India's long-standing relations, shared cultural heritage and considerable capacity to expand cooperation in cultural, economic and social fields. Asked how effective BRICS can be against unilateralism, he said the bloc was founded for that purpose. He noted that the global economy is highly complex and that the dominance some powers have established over international relations in recent years requires new approaches. "Innovation and developing cooperation among member states can help strengthen BRICS and reduce unilateralism in the international system," he said. The report by Mehr News added that the summit is expected to draw leaders from various member states.