PM Modi embarks on 5-nation visit, says India committed to BRICS

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India is committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies as he left on a week-long visit to five countries, including Brazil where he will attend the bloc’s meeting.

“Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic and balanced multipolar world order,” he said in his departure statement.

During the week-long travel, the PM will visit Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia.

Ghana will be his first port of call. Modi said that at the invitation of President John Dramani Mahama, he will be there on July 2 and 3.

Ghana is a valued partner in the Global South and plays an important role in the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, he said, adding that he looked forward to talks aimed at further deepening the two countries’ historical ties and opening up new windows of cooperation, including in the areas of investment, energy, health, security, capacity building and development partnership.

He said, “As fellow democracies, it will be an honour to speak at the Parliament of Ghana.”

For the next couple of days after visiting Ghana, he will be in Trinidad and Tobago, a country with which India shares deep-rooted historical, cultural and people-to-people connect.

Modi will meet President Christine Carla Kangaloo, who was the chief guest at this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has recently assumed office for the second term.

“Indians first arrived in Trinidad and Tobago 180 years ago. This visit will provide an opportunity to rejuvenate the special bonds of ancestry and kinship that unite us,” the Indian prime minister said.

Modi will then travel to Buenos Aires, the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to Argentina in 57 years.

He said Argentina is a key economic partner in Latin America and a close collaborator in the G20 and that he looked forward to discussions with President Javier Milei, whom he had met last year.

“We will focus on advancing our mutually beneficial cooperation, including in the areas of agriculture, critical minerals, energy, trade, tourism, technology, and investment,” Modi said.

He will attend the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6 and 7.

As a founding member, India is committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies, he said.

“Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic and balanced multipolar world order,” he added.

On the sidelines of the summit, Modi will meet several world leaders.

“I will travel to Brasilia for a bilateral State Visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly six decades. This visit will provide an opportunity to strengthen our close partnership with Brazil, and work with my friend, President H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on advancing the priorities of the Global South,” he said.

Namibia, which Modi described as a trusted partner sharing a common history of struggle against colonialism, will be his last destination.

He will meet President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and chart a new roadmap for cooperation for the benefit of the two peoples, regions and the wider Global South, Modi said.

He added, “It will be a privilege to also address the Joint Session of Namibian Parliament as we celebrate our enduring solidarity and shared commitment for freedom and development.”

Modi expressed confidence that his visits to the five countries will reinforce India’s bonds and friendship across the Global South, strengthen their partnerships on both sides of the Atlantic, and deepen engagements in the multilateral platforms such as BRICS, the African Union, ECOWAS and the CARICOM. PTI