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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday reviewed the full breadth of the India-South Africa Strategic Partnership, including the proposed India-SACU trade agreement, mining and critical minerals, infrastructure, digital public infrastructure and emerging technologies.
PM Modi met Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, with the two leaders also exchanging views on global issues of mutual interest and agreeing to maintain close coordination in multilateral fora. "Delighted to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Delhi. We reviewed the full breadth of the India-South Africa Strategic Partnership, including: The India-SACU trade agreement. Mining and critical minerals. Infrastructure. Food security. DPI and emerging technologies. Skilling. Our partnership is rooted in history and firmly focused on the future. We will work closely for Africas progress, the priorities of the Global South and a more balanced global order," PM Modi said in a post on X. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two leaders reviewed progress achieved in diverse areas of cooperation and exchanged views on the multi-faceted strategic partnership between India and South Africa. The MEA said the close and longstanding relations between the two countries are rooted in shared historical struggles, strong cultural affinities, robust economic ties and deep people-to-people connections. The meeting also focused on cooperation in the context of the successful translocation of cheetahs from South Africa to India. PM Modi also invited South Africa to consider joining the International Big Cat Alliance. Under Project Cheetah, India aimed at reintroducing the cheetah in the country after its extinction in the country. The programme began with the translocation of a founder population of 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa and was later supplemented by nine cheetahs from Botswana through international cooperation and scientific planning. Eight cheetahs from Namibia were first reintroduced to India on September 17, 2022, followed by 12 cheetahs from South Africa in February 2023. On the economic front, India and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) have taken steps towards negotiations for a Preferential Trade Agreement. The two sides signed the Terms of Reference for negotiations towards the agreement in August. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal had said the proposed trade agreement "can help us leverage each other's strengths and contribute to shared prosperity, delivering mutual benefits". The India-SACU trade agreement was among the issues discussed by PM Modi and President Ramaphosa during their meeting, along with mining and critical minerals, infrastructure, food security, DPI, emerging technologies and skilling. The MEA said the two leaders also agreed to maintain close coordination in multilateral fora while exchanging views on a range of global issues of mutual interest. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The two leaders reviewed the progress achieved in diverse areas of cooperation and exchanged views on the multi-faceted strategic partnership between India and South Africa. They also shared views on a range of global issues of mutual interest and agreed to maintain close coordination in multilateral fora," the MEA said in a post on X. Ramaphosa thanked Prime Minister Modi for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation as well as for the successful organisation of the BRICS Summit. South Africa has been a core member of the BRICS grouping, with Ramaphosa attending the two-day summit hosted by India under the chairship theme of "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability". (ANI)
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