PM Modi arrives in Johannesburg for BRICS Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Johannesburg for the 15th BRICS Summit which began under the South African chairmanship on Tuesday.

PM Modi received a ceremonial welcome as he arrived at the Waterkloof Air Force Base on the outskirts of Pretoria. He was warmly received by Paul Mashatile, the Deputy President of South Africa.

This is the first in-person BRICS Summit since 2019 and will provide an opportunity to review progress of the initiatives launched by the grouping, and identify future areas of activity.

During his visit, Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with some of the leaders present in Johannesburg and will also participate in a special event ‘BRICS – Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue’ being organised after the BRICS Summit, which will include other countries invited by South Africa.

“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,” PM Modi said in his departure statement Tuesday morning.

PM Modi also interacted with the members of Indian diaspora who had gathered to welcome him. A large chunk of Indians also waited eagerly for Prime Minister’s arrival in Sandton where the summit is taking place.

Following his visit to South Africa, PM Modi will pay an official visit to Greece on August 25 at the invitation of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece. This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Greece in 40 years. India and Greece enjoy civilisational ties, which have strengthened in recent years through cooperation in areas like maritime transport, defence, trade and investments and people-to-people ties.

Prime Minister will hold talks with Mitsotakis to discuss ways to further deepen the relationship. He will also interact with business leaders from both countries, as well as with the Indian community in Greece.

“Contacts between our two civilizations stretch back over two millennia. In modern times, our ties have been strengthened by shared values of democracy, rule of law and pluralism. Cooperation in diverse sectors such as trade and investment, defence, and cultural and people-to-people contacts have been bringing our two countries closer,” PM Modi said in his departure statement.

Also Read: How BRICS hopes to set the agenda for change driven by the Global South