Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra were also present during the meeting.
The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues including trade, defence and investment, aimed at deepening bilateral ties. This meeting took place shortly before the leaders’ summit that will see participation from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
“Had an excellent meeting with President @CyrilRamaphosa. We discussed a wide range of issues aimed at deepening India-South Africa relations. Trade, defence and investment linkages featured prominently in our discussions. We will keep working together to strengthen the voice of the Global South as well," PM Modi said in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Had an excellent meeting with President @CyrilRamaphosa. We discussed a wide range of issues aimed at deepening India-South Africa relations. Trade, defence and investment linkages featured prominently in our discussions. We will keep working together to strengthen the voice of… pic.twitter.com/xhxEClr1Dl— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 23, 2023
The Prime Minister arrived here on Tuesday to attend the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg from August 22-24. This is the first in-person summit after three years of virtual meetings due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The five-member bloc brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 percent of the global population, 24 percent of the global GDP and 16 percent of the global trade.
Besides the member countries, more than 20 heads of state from Africa and the Middle East have also been invited to attend. A number of them have applied to become members of BRICS, which is one of the matters on the agenda for the Summit.
VIDEO | PM Modi attends BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. pic.twitter.com/3r59UwXpYm— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 23, 2023
On the first day of his visit, PM Modi attended the BRICS Leaders Retreat. “Reinforcing the intra-BRICS bonds! PM @narendramodi arrives at the Summer Place to participate in the BRICS Leaders Retreat. Warmly greeted by the host, President @CyrilRamaphosa of South Africa," Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“PM, along with other BRICS leaders will deliberate on global developments and leveraging the BRICS platform to find solutions to global challenges," he said. PM Modi also shared some pictures with other BRICS leaders on platform X.
Earlier, he spoke at the BRICS Business Forum Leaders’ Dialogue, where he highlighted that “mission-mode" reforms have improved the ease of doing business in India and invited businesses to be part of the country’s development journey.
India will soon become a $5 trillion economy and is poised to become the growth engine of the world in the coming years, the Prime Minister added.