Addis Ababa, September 13, 2026 (FMC) — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has told BRICS leaders that countries can manage their differences and pursue a common purpose without having to become alike, placing the ability to work across divergence at the heart of international cooperation.
Addressing the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Abiy said the international landscape ahead would require countries capable of managing differences while continuing to move forward together.
“The world ahead will need countries that can manage differences and move forward together,” he said. “Our countries do not need to become more alike to pursue a common purpose.”
The Prime Minister framed the principle as central to the value of BRICS, whose members bring different national circumstances, capacities and experiences to the partnership.
“The value of BRICS lies in what we can achieve together,” he said, stressing that the grouping’s strength comes from the contributions of its individual members.
His message placed cooperation across differences alongside a broader argument running through his address: resilience, in an increasingly interconnected world, requires countries and institutions to prepare for disruption and retain the capacity to act collectively.
At the outset of his speech, Prime Minister Abiy noted that “shocks rarely come alone,” with disruption in one area quickly affecting another. He argued that resilience therefore has to be built before a crisis and incorporated into how countries govern.
The same logic informed his wider call for practical cooperation across BRICS. He outlined Ethiopia’s readiness to contribute in areas including food production, pharmaceutical manufacturing, digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, minerals, renewable energy, finance and climate action.
He also called for stronger consultation between BRICS and the African Union so that engagement with Africa is better aligned with Agenda 2063, while urging cooperation that brings together the different strengths of countries and creates wider value.
Concluding his address, Prime Minister Abiy underscored that countries do not need to erase their differences to work toward shared objectives.
“Ethiopia comes to this partnership ready to contribute,” he said, before stressing that the value of BRICS ultimately lies in what its members can achieve together.
The message from the BRICS platform was therefore direct: differences need not be an obstacle to common purpose, provided countries can manage them and retain the willingness to move forward together.