Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to South Africa to attend the 15th BRICS Summit, which is set to be held in the city of Johannesburg from 22-24 August.
“This will be the first in-person BRICS Summit since 2019. The Summit will provide an opportunity to review progress of the initiatives launched by the grouping, and identify future areas of activity,” stated a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
“Prime Minister will also participate in a special event ‘BRICS – Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue’ being organized after the BRICS Summit, which will include other countries invited by South Africa,” it goes on to say.
On the agenda is the proposed expansion of the BRICS to include a host of new countries, including Iran. According to some reports quoting South African officials, around 40 countries have reportedly expressed an interest in joining BRICS. This list of countries is also said to include Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Kazakhstan, the Comoros and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) among others.
Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders present in Johannesburg. After the BRICS Summit, he will go on to Greece on an official visit.
“This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Greece in 40 years. India and Greece enjoy civilizational 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 Prime Minister 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,” reads the release by the MEA.
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More
Less
Updated: 18 Aug 2023, 08:29 PM IST
