New Delhi, April 27 -- The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said that a joint statement could not be issued following the BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) meeting, which took place on April 24 in the national capital, as member countries were unable to reach a general consensus concerning the conflict in West Asia.

"A Chair's Summary was released, as a joint statement could not be achieved. A joint statement was not possible because a general consensus could not be reached among the members--the delegates who attended the BRICS MENA meeting--regarding the ongoing conflict in West Asia," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during the inter-ministerial briefing on re...