Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, left for South Africa to participate in the much-awaited BRICS Summit. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Prime Minister left Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi at around 7 am IST and is likely to land at Johannesburg around 5.15 pm IST.
"I am visiting the Republic of South Africa from 22-24 August 2023 at the invitation Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, to attend the 15th BRICS Summit being held in Johannesburg under the South African Chairmanship," Prime Minister's Office said in a statement released ahead of his visit.
It noted that the bloc has been pursuing a strong cooperation agenda across various sectors and added New Delhi underscores it 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.
"This Summit will provide a useful opportunity for BRICS to identify future areas of cooperation and review institutional development," it added.
No mention of a bilateral meeting with the Chinese President
During his visit, the Indian Prime Minister will also participate in the BRICS–Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue event that will be held as part of the BRICS Summit activities. "I look forward to interacting with a number of guest countries that have been invited to participate in this event," said the statement. However, it did not mention whether PM Modi will hold any bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
What is BRICS?
The BRICS is a group of countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — and the word was coined by Jim O’Neill, an economist working with American company Goldman Sachs, to highlight the strong growth potential of these countries and how they could dominate the global economy by 2050.
Russia, India and China (RIC) started holding a dialogue in the early 2000s, expressing their interest in a shift from a unipolar to a multipolar world with a more sympathetic global governance system. The acronym RIC changed to BRIC with the induction of Brazil in 2009 and to BRICS in 2010 with the inclusion of South Africa.
As the BRICS Summit gathers on South African soil, a defining moment arises. It beckons the member nations to seize this juncture and mould an unprecedented global economic governance system—one that is all-encompassing, efficient, and inclusive.
India's Expectations
Meanwhile, while speaking to the news agency ANI about India's expectations, BRICS Sherpa Dammu Ravi said that several issues including the next expansion of BRICS on the agenda and the use of national currency for trading and economic activity amongst the BRICS member countries.
"Earlier there was no belief that Brics would be extended. As the world is changing in the 21st century, all the developing countries together decided for the expansion of BRICS keeping in mind their agenda items and economic development," said the IFS officer. "But, for this, guidelines, as well as criteria, are needed." As per Ravi, India has been "constructive" in this work and we have taken the first initiative at the Sherpa level.
BRICS currency will be endorsed: India
"Currently, we cannot say which country can be part of the expansion. It will be decided after a thorough discussion by all the leaders and the country that has to be brought into BRICS. Before the expansion, it would be kept in mind that the country can cooperate in the development and the expansion of BRICS." As far as the inclusion of national currency in trading is concerned, the officer said, it is not new and it has already happened.
"There is an opportunity for trading in your national currency. All the BRICS countries together will take this decision and discuss that they can trade in their national currency in these BRICS countries."
Leader of Global South
From India's point of view, Ravi said, "Development dimension and issues that are so crucial and critical for the Global South, will be part of the discussion in the BRICS Summit, scheduled on August 22-24.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary leadership has always been emphasising that the solutions and the challenges for the global south have to be collectively worked together." He further said this is the first time since the pandemic that leaders are meeting in person. "So, in that sense, this assumes enormous importance and significance so that all the leaders are meeting in person."
Noting that it's the third time when Prime Minister Modi is visiting South Africa and that this visit also marks the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between India and South Africa, the officer said there are lots of ideas Prime Minister Modi's are being discussed in the BRICS meetings."
