PM to begin five-nation tour next week, visit Brazil for Brics Summit
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a five-nation tour next week to participate in the Brics Summit in Brazil and to bolster India's relations with several key nations of the Global South, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The Indian side is expected to seek the Brics bloc's support for its campaign against cross-border terrorism in the wake of last month's clashes with Pakistan (REUTERS)
The main engagement of the week-long visit, expected to begin on July 2, will be Modi's participation in the Brics Summit in Rio de Janeiro during July 6-7, the people said on condition of anonymity. This will be clubbed with a bilateral visit to Brazil to strengthen relations between two important members of the Brics grouping.
In addition to focusing on measures to strengthen economic cooperation between members of Brics - it brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - the summit is expected to discuss the fallout of conflicts around the globe.
The Indian side is expected to seek the bloc's support for its campaign against cross-border terrorism in the wake of last month's clashes with Pakistan, the people said.
Brazil, the current president of Brics, has listed Global South cooperation and partnerships for social, economic and environmental development as its priorities for the summit. Other members of Brics such as Russia have been pushing for an alternative payments system with greater trade settlement in domestic currencies to reduce dependence on the US dollar.
The Indian side has decided to go ahead with the visit despite reports that both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are not expected to attend the summit. The South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's invitation to Modi for a state dinner after the Brics summit may have influenced Beijing's decision, as Xi could have been 'perceived as a supporting actor' at the gathering.
There has been no official announcement from India or the five countries regarding Modi's visit so far. Besides Brazil, Modi will also visit Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Ghana and Namibia, the people said.
These visits are in keeping with India's efforts to forge stronger relations with key players of the Global South and to bolster economic and trade relations with countries such as Argentina, which is being eyed as a potential supplier of rare earth minerals, the people said.
Defence and security collaboration, counter-terrorism cooperation, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, food security, energy partnerships, digitalisation and reform of global governance institutions will also be a key part of discussions with the four other countries to be visited by the Prime Minister, the people said.
The visits to Ghana and Namibia will also reinforce India's focus on Africa, especially for development cooperation and bolstering of trade ties, as part of efforts to counter China's expanding footprint in the continent, the people said.
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