BRICS leaders urge vigilance to prevent 'terrorist sanctuary' in Afghanistan

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) – Members of the BRICS group of nations on Thursday stressed the need to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a “terrorist sanctuary.”

Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – collectively known as BRICS – issued a joint declaration after the 13th BRICS Summit, which was held virtually and hosted by India.

“We underscore the priority of fighting terrorism, including preventing attempts by terrorist organizations to use Afghan territory as terrorist sanctuary and to carry out attacks against other countries, as well as drug trade within Afghanistan,” read the statement.

The BRICS nations urged against violence in Afghanistan, calling for “settling the situation by peaceful means.”

“We follow with concern the latest developments in Afghanistan. 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 declaration said.

They also emphasized the “need to address the humanitarian situation and to uphold human rights, including those of women, children and minorities.”

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan had “caused a new crisis situation, and it is still not entirely clear how all this will affect the regional and global security,” according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

“We are, of course, not interested in Afghanistan remaining a threat for its neighboring states, in terrorism or illegal drug trafficking threatening us from the Afghan territory. We are interested in stopping the migration influx,” he was quoted as saying.

Putin said Russia and the BRICS members want to see peace and stability in Afghanistan.

“The people of this country have been fighting for decades and deserve their right to define their state themselves,” he stressed.

- ‘Strengthening, reforming multilateral system’

The BRICS members reaffirmed their commitment to “strengthening and reforming the multilateral system to make global governance more responsive and agile, effective, transparent, democratic, representative and accountable,” according to the declaration.

“We acknowledge that, despite the many successes of the UN system and its associated architecture, its continued relevance would be determined by its ability to adapt to contemporary realities and respond to the evolving and inter-connected challenges of our time,” read the document.

To this end, China’s President Xi Jinping said the BRICS countries have become an important force on the international stage, according to Chinese broadcaster CGTN.

“Over the past 15 years, the five countries have enhanced strategic communication and political trust in the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and equality, respected each other's social system and development path, and explored a sound way for countries to interact with each other,” he was quoted as saying.

With the future of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal still uncertain, the BRICS group also reiterated the importance of preserving the agreement “and the need to resolve the Iran nuclear issue through peaceful and diplomatic means in accordance with international law.”

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa also addressed the virtual event.