Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be traveling to South Africa and Greece next week, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.
While PM Modi will be attending the BRICS summit in Johannesburg from August 22 to 24, he will visit Greece on August 25 for a bilateral visit — the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Greece in 40 years.
The Ministry of External Affairs announced the visit in an official statement: “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will be visiting Johannesburg, South Africa from 22-24 August 2023 to attend the 15th BRICS Summit at the invitation of Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa.”
It said, “This will be the first in-person BRICS Summit since 2019. The Summit will provide an opportunity to review progress of the initiatives launched by the grouping, and identify future areas of activity.”
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The Prime Minister will also participate in a special event “BRICS – Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue” being organized after the BRICS Summit, which will include other countries invited by South Africa.
During his visit, the Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with some of the leaders present in Johannesburg. Chinese President Xi Jinping will be present at the summit, and a meeting between the two leaders is not ruled out.
Following his visit to South Africa, the MEA statement said that the Prime Minister will be going on an official visit to Greece on 25 August 2023 at the invitation of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece. “This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Greece in 40 years,” the statement said.
The MEA said that India and Greece enjoy civilizational ties, which have strengthened in recent years through cooperation in areas like maritime transport, defense, trade and investments, and people-to-people ties.
“Prime Minister will hold talks with Prime Minister Mitsotakis to discuss ways to further deepen the relationship. He will also interact with business leaders from both countries, as well as with the Indian community in Greece,” it said.
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