Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday embarked on a visit to the South African city of Johannesburg to attend the 15th BRICS summit at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. It will be the first in-person summit of BRICS comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, since 2019. After attending the BRICS Summit from August 22 to 24, PM Modi will travel to Greece to hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on enhancing overall ties between the two countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be traveling to Johannesburg for the summit while speculation of PM Modi holding a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping remains unconfirmed.
BRICS Summit 2023: PM Modi's Tentative Schedule Today & 3-Day Programme Details
Here is PM Modi's schedule for the opening day of the BRICS Summit 2023:
13:45 hrs - Arrive at Waterkloof Air Force Base (IST around 5:15 PM)
16:00 hrs - BRICS Business Forum Leaders' Dialogue (IST around 7:30 PM)
18:00 hrs - BRICS Leaders' Retreat (IST around 9:30 PM)
On Tuesday, PM Modi is slated to participate in the BRICS Business Forum leaders' dialogue and the BRICS leaders' retreat. The main summit will take place on August 23 (Wednesday) and it will consist of two sessions — the first session is on Cooperation within the grouping, reform of the multilateral system, and counter-terrorism; and the second will be on global economic recovery, sustainable development goals (SDGs), and priorities of the Global South.
The Prime Minister will also participate in the BRICS-Africa outreach session and the BRICS-plus dialogue on August 24.
The BRICS grouping consists of five of the largest developing countries in the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP, and 16 per cent of the global trade.
India Has 'Positive Intent' And 'Open Mind': Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra On BRICS Summit
Ahead of the BRICS summit, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Monday said that India has a "positive intent" and an "open mind" for the expansion of the five-nation grouping. "We have a positive intent and an open mind when it comes to BRICS expansion," he said, as quoted by PTI.
When asked if PM Modi will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, Kwatra said that the schedule of the prime minister's bilateral meetings is being finalised.
He also informed that the modalities for the inclusion of new members into the grouping are being discussed among the Sherpas. "I would not want to prejudge the outcome of the discussions," he added, as per PTI.
According to the Foreign Secretary, 23 countries have submitted their applications to join the BRICS, and Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Argentina have emerged as major contenders for the membership.
Following the BRICS Summit, PM Modi's visit to Athens assumed significance as it will be the first prime ministerial visit from India after then PM Indira Gandhi visited Greece in September 1983. Then Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou visited India thrice — in November 1984 for Indira Gandhi's funeral, in January 1985 to attend a summit on nuclear disarmament, and in January 1986 on a bilateral state visit as the chief guest for the Republic Day function.
Kwatra said that during PM Modi's visit to Athens, both sides will aim to expand and diversify trade and investment cooperation as well as explore possibilities to deepen defence and security partnership.