Ufa BRICS declaration condemns terrorism

The Ufa BRICS declaration reiterated the five members strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

The document, issued on Thursday, stresses that there can be no justification, whatsoever, for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic, or any other justification.

"We are determined to consistently strengthen our cooperation in preventing and countering international terrorism," it said.

It stresses that the UN has a central role in coordinating international action against terrorism, that must be conducted in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter, international refugee and humanitarian law, human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The declaration comprises 77 paragraphs and covers a variety of subjects.

According to Sujata Mehta, secretary (economic relations) in the ministry of external affairs, there is a good paragraph on cooperation in the United Nations, specifically with regard to reform of the UN Security Council.

"We believe that this is a good paragraph which reflects the aspiration of three BRICS members to become permanent members of the Security Council and a recognition of that by the two BRICS members who are already members of the Security Council," she said.

"There is a substantial paragraph or set of paragraphs rather on the subject of cooperation against terrorism."

"We believe that the formulations contained in this reflect some of our interests and reflect the importance that we in India attach to cooperation among BRICS members on this field. There is a reflection of cooperation among BRICS members in the efforts against the drugs problem," she added.

"We have several paragraphs relating to cooperation in the ICT area. I highlight this because this is a subject which each of the BRICS leaders spoke to at some length both in their restricted remarks as also in the plenary."

"There is a reflection in this declaration on the importance of IMF reform and reform of the World Bank governance structures. This again is a topic that each of the leaders touched upon in all the remarks that they made today (Thursday). There is a reference to cooperation in WTO," she said at a briefing here.

"There is a good reflection of cooperation on the subject of climate change. This too is something that all the leaders spoke about and which is reflected in the declaration."