15th BRICS Summit, Day-2: PM Modi, South Africa President Ramaphosa to hold bilateral talks
15th BRICS Summit, Day-2: As the 15th BRICS Summit enters its second day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to engage in a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday.
Scheduled for later in the day are open and closed plenary sessions in Johannesburg, which will be followed by a cultural performance and a banquet dinner hosted by President Ramaphosa.
The inaugural day of the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg featured the BRICS Business Forum Leaders' Dialogue. During this, PM Modi emphasised India's trajectory toward becoming a $5 trillion economy and highlighted its role as a future global growth engine.
PM Modi stressed that mutual trust and transparency can yield significant impact, particularly within the Global South. In response, Ramaphosa underscored the potential for BRICS countries to contribute to Africa's growth story, given its urbanized and digitally connected youth population that can provide a stable workforce.
Following the Business Forum, PM Modi participated in the BRICS Leaders Retreat at Summer Place in Johannesburg. This gathering allowed leaders from the BRICS nations, including Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, to deliberate on global developments and strategize on utilizing the BRICS platform effectively to address global challenges.
Upon his arrival in South Africa, PM Modi received a ceremonial welcome at Waterkloof Air Force Base. He was warmly greeted by the Indian diaspora, who chanted 'Vande Mataram' and welcomed him with traditional 'dhols' outside the Sandton Sun Hotel in Johannesburg. Indian women tied 'Rakhi' on his wrist as a gesture of welcome, and PM Modi also inspected a model of the under-construction Swaminarayan Temple in Johannesburg, set to be the largest Hindu temple in Africa and the Southern Hemisphere upon completion in 2025.
This visit marks PM Modi's third trip to South Africa and commemorates the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and South Africa. BRICS, an acronym representing Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, collectively stands as an influential alliance challenging traditional institutions and presenting a beacon of economic optimism and global transformation.
- ANI
