The world’s emerging powers on Thursday said dialogue was the only answer to crises in Syria and Iran at a summit aimed at bolstering their non-Western alliance’s influence on global affairs.
The BRICS bloc — comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — vowed to work together more closely on areas of mutual concern and launched plans for their first joint institution, a development bank. At their fourth summit together, they also issued a pre-emptive warning against any military action by the West or Israel to end the unrest in Syria or the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.