NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of Brics member countries on Saturday participated in a joint tree plantation at the lawns outside Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, where the 18th Brics Summit is being held.The leaders also posed together for a family photograph as part of the summit proceedings.This came as the Brics grouping on Saturday adopted a joint declaration by consensus, overcoming sharp differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict following a series of back-channel negotiations.PM Modi announced the adoption of the declaration at the end of the opening day’s deliberations of the two-day India-hosted summit.The New Delhi Declaration, stated that the grouping would strengthen cooperation while respecting the national priorities, laws and regulations of individual member states.“We reaffirm our commitment to deepen cooperation in the field of competition law and policy among BRICS nations to foster fair, competitive, and resilient market environments across sectors, including critical and emerging areas, while respecting each State’s national priorities, laws and regulations,” the declaration said.
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The declaration noted discussions held under the theme, “Strengthening Cooperation to Promote Fair Competition, including in Renewable Energy Markets”, aimed at supporting sustainable energy transitions.It also encouraged continued cooperation among Brics competition authorities to identify and effectively address emerging competition challenges.The declaration expressed deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in West Asia and called for maximum restraint and avoidance of actions that could further aggravate the situation.Negotiations over the text went down to the wire, with Iran and the UAE initially taking firm positions. As Brics is a consensus-based grouping, any one member can block the adoption of a final joint declaration.