‘Old ways can’t address new situations,’ says S Jaishankar to address economic disparities

Foreign ministers from the five-nation grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) called for a "rebalancing" of the global order, as they met in Cape Town for a two-day meeting of BRICS Foreign Ministers.

Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said during opening remarks, “Our gathering must send out a strong message that the world is multipolar, that it is rebalancing and that old ways cannot address new situations. We are a symbol of change and must act accordingly.”

Jaishankar further stressed, “We urge that BRICS will promote the economic decentralisation, that is so essential for political democratisation.”

The foreign ministers aimed to shift the spotlight towards their aspiration of increasing their influence in a world characterized by multiple centres of power.

Jaishankar emphasized the accumulation of economic power, expressing concerns about a situation where a few nations hold significant control, while "leaving too many nations at the mercy of too few."

He called for reforms in global decision-making structures, including the United Nations Security Council, to address this issue. "Old ways cannot address new situations. We are a symbol of change. We must act," Jaishankar said.

Meanwhile, South Africa's foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, stated that her country was considering possible courses of action in the event that Vladimir Putin, who is the subject of an ICC arrest warrant for war crimes, attended the scheduled BRICS summit in Johannesburg.

In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) made accusations against Putin, alleging the war crime of forcibly removing children from Russian-controlled regions in Ukraine. Moscow has denied these allegations. It is worth noting that South Africa extended an invitation to Putin in January.

South Africa, as a member of the ICC, would potentially be obligated to arrest Putin if he were to attend the BRICS summit. Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Naledi Pandor, upon her arrival for initial discussions with delegates from Brazil, Russia, India, and China, faced numerous inquiries regarding this matter.

In recent times, BRICS, which was previously perceived as a loose alliance of diverse emerging economies, has evolved into a more cohesive entity. This transformation was primarily initiated by Beijing and gained additional momentum from Moscow following the onset of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

During the ongoing BRICS meeting in Cape Town, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, were in attendance.

Officials revealed that alongside Venezuela, Argentina, Algeria, and the United Arab Emirates, both Iran and Saudi Arabia have either formally applied to join BRICS or shown interest in doing so. The meeting is set to continue on Friday.