UAE Leverages Brics Membership to Forge Stronger East-West Trade and Economic Ties

The UAE is utilizing its Brics membership to enhance trade, economic, and people-to-people connections between the East and the West, according to a senior UAE official speaking ahead of the bloc’s summit in New Delhi. Omran Sharaf, UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology Affairs and the country’s Brics "sherpa," stated that this approach highlights the UAE's function as a regional and global hub alongside its enduring policy of fostering strategic relationships worldwide.

“Where we are within the region, we are a hub. We need to work with the East and the West,” Mr Sharaf told The National in an interview in New Delhi. “We connect the North and the South. That connectivity when it comes to trade, economic and commercial activities, to people-to-people relationships, is embedded in us.”

Mr Sharaf noted that the UAE’s engagement within Brics centers on solidifying these bridges among member states and offering the Global South enhanced access to other regions through the UAE. The bloc also delivers prospects for innovation and expanded market access for the country. “With the polarised geopolitical landscape, convergence of views is very important,” Mr Sharaf said. “Being part of a platform like Brics helps us bring these topics and agree among each other, and even helps us in platforms other than Brics, where similar discussions take place but sometimes the discussions are not moving forward.”

Brics originally encompassed Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, but expanded in 2024 to integrate the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, and Ethiopia. Members collectively represent 49.5 per cent of the world's population and roughly 40 per cent of global gross domestic product at purchasing power parity.

Addressing a multipolar world, Mr Sharaf pointed out that differing national interests naturally yield divergent positions among members. “Each country works towards its national interest, and views will be different,” he noted. Attention now centers on whether leaders can forge a joint declaration over the weekend after foreign ministers missed reaching a consensus in May. The UAE delegation is headed by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian are present, while Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected on Saturday for his first visit to India in seven years.

Highlighting deepening India ties, Mr Sharaf emphasized the significance of India hosting the Brics summit, mentioning that Abu Dhabi collaborated closely with Indian partners to ensure the event's success. “India is a very important partner for the UAE, an important trade partner, an important strategic partner,” Mr Sharaf stated. Following UAE President Sheikh Mohamed’s visit to New Delhi in January for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, bilateral ties have continued to expand, supported by extensive trade figures and a large diaspora of 4.3 million Indian nationals in the UAE.

Amid geopolitical disruptions and regional conflicts affecting maritime chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz, Mr Sharaf emphasized the criticality of alternative trade routes, including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (Imec). Backed by the US, the EU, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, and Italy, Imec aims to bypass vulnerable channels like the Bab Al Mandeb strait and Suez Canal to ensure continuous trade flow between East and West.