New Delhi, Sep 12 (PTI): BRICS leaders on Saturday expressed serious concern over "deliberate attacks" on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under full safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), while underlining that nuclear safety and security must always be upheld, including in "armed conflicts".

In the ‘New Delhi Declaration’ adopted on the first day of the two-day BRICS Summit, being hosted by India, the leaders also expressed concerns about the "growing risks of nuclear danger and conflict".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the adoption of the declaration at the end of the opening day's deliberations in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other top leaders of the bloc.

In a major diplomatic victory for India, BRICS reached consensus on the joint declaration after overcoming sharp differences between the United Arab Emirates and Tehran regarding the West Asia conflict, but skipped any direct mention of the US strikes on Iran or the Iranian military's attacks on Gulf Arab nations.

The declaration, without naming any country, said, "We express serious concern over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under full safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in violation of international law and relevant resolutions of the IAEA," it said.

"Nuclear safeguards, safety, and security must always be upheld, including in armed conflicts, to protect people and the environment from harm," it added.

BRICS, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia joining in 2025.

Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam became BRICS partner countries last year.

The declaration said, "We express concern about the growing risks of nuclear danger and conflict. We reiterate the need for invigorating the system of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation and for preserving its integrity and effectiveness to achieve global stability and international peace and security." The leaders also stressed the significant contribution of "nuclear-weapon-free zones" to the strengthening of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, reaffirmed their support for and respect towards all existing nuclear-weapons free zones and their associated assurances against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.

They also acknowledged the importance of the efforts aiming at accelerating the implementation of the "resolutions on the Establishment of a Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East, including the Conference convened pursuant to UN General Assembly Decision 73/546." "We call on all invited parties to participate in this conference in good faith and engage with this effort constructively. We note the adoption of the UNGA Resolution 79/241 'Comprehensive study of the question of nuclear-weapon-free zones in all its aspects' as well as the successful conclusion of the study, which was adopted by the group by consensus," the declaration said. PTI KND KSI KSI

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