BRICS Summit 2021: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired 13th edition of the annual BRICS Summit via video conferencing which was largely focused on Taliban taking over Afghanistan and the prevailing situation in the war-torn country.


The summit was attended by Brazil President Jair Bolsanaro, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. 


The theme of the summit, as decided by India, was 'BRICS at 15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation, and Consensus'.


In his opening remarks, PM Modi said India has received full cooperation from all BRICS partners during its chairmanship and listed various achievements of the grouping.


BRICS Summit 2021: Declaration In 10 Points


1. "This is an innovative step to increase health access with the help of technology. In November, our Water Resources Ministers will be meeting for the first time under the BRICS format. It is also the first time that BRICS has taken a collective position on 'Strengthening and Reforming Multilateral Systems'," PM Modi said.


Without naming Taliban or Afghanistan, PM Modi said that BRICS has adopted the Counter-Terrorism Action Plan


2. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his address, said that Moscow is interested in peace and stability in Afghanistan and in stopping the exodus of Afghans from the country, which has been triggered by the Taliban's swift power grab last month. 


Putin said Russia is interested in stopping the flow of migration" and wants Afghans to live peaceful and dignified lives in their motherland.


3. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose to remain silent on the ongoing Afghanistan crisis, but said that BRICS countries have become an important force on the international stage to be reckoned with.


The Chinese premier also called for deepening cooperation among the member states to build a closer and more results-oriented partnership to meet common challenges.


4. Meanwhile, Brazil's President Jair Bolsanaro praised the partnership between the Brazilian government, India and China on actions taken to combat the Coronavirus pandemic. 


"The strategic partnership between Brazil and India is having an excellent moment. Our cooperation has advanced in areas such as science and technology, energy, and health, and above all in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic," Bolsanaro said.


5. South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday said that BRICS nations' collective response to COVID-19 has demonstrated what can be achieved when partner countries work together.


"We must ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. This is the only way in which we can respond to this pandemic that engulfs the world," he said.


6. In a declaration issued at the end of the summit, BRICS called for refraining from violence and settling the situation in Afghanistan by peaceful means.


"We call for refraining from violence and settling the situation by peaceful means. We stress the need to contribute to fostering an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue so as to ensure stability, civil peace, law and order in the country," the BRICS said.


7. The grouping also condemned in strongest terms the terrorist attacks near Kabul Airport recently that resulted in a large number of deaths and injuries.


8. On the issue of threat of terrorism, the BRICS said it is committed to combating the menace in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists.


9. The summit also endorsed the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan for implementing the grouping's Counter-Terrorism Strategy that was adopted by the NSAs of the member nations of the grouping.


10. Last but not least, the BRICS declaration largely pointed out that the territory of Afghanistan must not be used to carry out terror attacks against other countries and strongly called for combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists.