Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a journey to Johannesburg on Tuesday morning to attend the 15th BRICS Summit which is being held from August 22-24. He will be attending the event at the invitation of the President of South Africa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa. In his departure statement, the PM said that he is looking forward to holding bilateral meetings with some of the leaders that will be present at that Summit. PM Narendra Modi embarks on four-day visit to South Africa, GreeceRead @ANI Story | https://t.co/EUEWNg7Ibp#PMModi #BRICSSummit2023 #SouthAfrica #Greece pic.twitter.com/jRICc7PYFV— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) August 22, 2023He further mentioned that BRICS has also been actively engaging in various sectors and has been holding talks to identify future areas of cooperation among its members and for the improvement of the Global South. “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,” the PM said in a statement.PM also said that during his visit to Johannesburg, he will be attending the BRICS–Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue event that will be held as part of the BRICS Summit activities.About 15th BRICS SummitThis will be the first in-person BRICS Summit since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and hence there is a lot to look forward to. The theme of this Summit is decided to be “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism”President of China Xi Jinping is already said to have reached the destination of the Summit while Moscow will send their delegation led by foreign minister Sergey Lavrov with President Putin joining the Summit virtually. Modis visit to Greece From South Africa, Modi is scheduled to leave for Greece on August 25 at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “This will be my first visit to this ancient land. I have the honour to be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Greece after 40 years,” he saidThe PM also mentioned that the two nations have shared over two millennia of history and that he looks forward to the opening of a new chapter in our multifaceted relationship with this visit.“Contacts between our two civilizations stretch back over two millennia. In modern times, our ties have been strengthened by shared values of democracy, the 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,” the PM said on the civilisational ties between India and Greece.
