Shaky, but secure

As top leaders of member nations assembled and deliberated at the 16th BRICS Summit, held in Kazan, Russia, the world couldn't have been more ironic and hypocritical.

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As top leaders of member nations assembled and deliberated at the 16th BRICS Summit, held in Kazan, Russia, the world couldn't have been more ironic and hypocritical.

Sitting in the midst of a nation that has been acting as the prime aggressor in the nearly three years old Russia-Ukraine war, the members of BRICS adopted the Kazan Declaration which expressed concern over the "rise of violence and continuing armed conflicts" and emphasised on "the need to engage in conflict prevention efforts, including through addressing their root causes."

Collective hypocrisy peaked when the declaration made strong references to the ongoing West Asian crisis, calling for permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and return of hostages by the former, among other things, while the older Russia-Ukraine conflict found scarce reference.

Russia being the host, its agenda was more than visible throughout the summit.

One of the most significant points of the Kazan Declaration was its condemnation of "unlawful unilateral coercive measures" and illegal sanctions, which have allegedly disrupted the global economy and impeded the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This, obviously, is nothing but a reiteration of Russia's official position against the sanctions imposed by the Western nations as a response to its aggression against Ukraine and other things.

This assertion has considerable merit.