NB Explains | PM Modi to travel to South Africa for BRICS summit; know why it is important

In a major development, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to visit 3 foreign country including one European country in next week. As a part scheduled, PM Modi will first travel to South Africa to attend the annual BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) conference.

 

 

Modi will first travel to South Africa from August 22-24 to attend the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) Summit in Johannesburg. The visit is being closely watched in diplomatic circles for both a planned expansion of the BRICS grouping and the possibility of a bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

 

In Johannesburg, Modi will join the leaders of Brazil, China and South Africa for the 15th Brics Summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin will join the meeting virtually while the Russian delegation will be led by foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. 

 

 

 

Modi will also participate in a special event with the theme “Brics – Africa outreach and Brics plus dialogue”. This is being organised after the BRICS Summit and will include dozens of countries, mostly from the African continent, invited by South Africa.

 

While in South Africa, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with “some of the leaders present in Johannesburg”, the external affairs ministry said without giving details. There was no official word from the Indian side whether the Chinese president will be among the leaders with whom Modi will hold talks.

Speculation about a Modi-Xi meeting has grown following a series of high-level contacts between India and China in recent weeks.

Both National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have met top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, who is currently the foreign minister, on the margins of multilateral gatherings in recent weeks.

 

 

The joint statement issued after the latest meeting between Indian and Chinese military commanders on the standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has also fuelled speculation about a Modi-Xi meeting in Johannesburg. The statement, issued after the talks held on August 13-14, described the discussions as positive and constructive.

 

Meanwhile, after attending the meeting, Modi will also travel to Greece. It will be the Indian prime minister's first visit to Greece in four decades.

 

Modi is expected to travel to Indonesia from September 6-7 to participate in the India-Asean and East Asia Summit. Modi is expected to visit Indonesia in early September to attend the India-Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and East Asia Summits in Jakarta. Modi’s meetings during this visit are expected to focus on ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, including freedom of navigation and respect for sovereignty, the people said.