PM Modi, South African President Ramaphosa discuss ways to further deepen bilateral ties

JOHANNESBURG: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he had an excellent meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and discussed a range of issues aimed at deepening the bilateral ties and also working jointly to strengthen the voice of the Global South.

Prime Minister Modi, who is on a three-day visit to South Africa and Greece, reached here on Tuesday at the invitation of President Ramaphosa to attend the 15th BRICS Summit being held under the South African Chairmanship from August 22-24.

"Had an excellent meeting with President @CyrilRamaphosa," Modi tweeted after the meeting held ahead of the BRICS Summit.

"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," he said, sharing some photographs of the meeting.

The Global South is generally seen as home to Brazil, India, Indonesia and China, which, along with Nigeria and Mexico, are the largest Southern states in terms of land area and population.

"BRICS has been pursuing a strong cooperation agenda across various sectors. We value that BRICS has become a platform for discussing and deliberating on issues of concern for the entire Global South, including development imperatives and reform of the multilateral system," Modi said in New Delhi before his departure for Johannesburg.

The Summit, he said, will provide a useful opportunity for BRICS to identify future areas of cooperation and review institutional development.

This is the first in-person BRICS Summit after three consecutive years of virtual meetings because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday, Modi attended the Leaders' Retreat along with his counterparts from China, South Africa and Brazil.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not travelled to Johannesburg for the annual summit of the BRICS nations comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

"The Retreat which took place in closed format, was an opportunity for the leaders to discuss global developments and ways for leveraging the BRICS platform to find solutions to global challenges," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release.

The prime minister also participated in the BRICS Business Forum Leaders' Dialogue on Tuesday, the MEA said in another press release.

During the meeting, Modi highlighted the various reforms being undertaken by India to improve the ease of doing business, including technology-based solutions to address the social and economic challenges, it said.

He also invited BRICS business leaders to participate in India's developmental journey.

The prime minister noted that Covid had highlighted the importance of resilient and inclusive supply chains, and emphasised the importance of mutual trust and transparency for this.

He also stressed that together BRICS can contribute significantly to global welfare, particularly of the Global South, the press release said.

During his stay in Johannesburg, Modi will also participate in BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue events that will be held as part of the BRICS Summit activities.

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