Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a five-nation visit to Africa and South America from July 2 to 9, ahead of the 17th BRICS Summit in Brazil. The trip, which includes stops in Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia, is aimed at deepening India’s engagement with the Global South and enhancing cooperation across key sectors such as trade, defence, energy, and health.
Modi is scheduled to attend the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro from July 5 to 7, followed by a State Visit to Brazil on July 8 at the invitation of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Notably, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the summit.
Officials have indicated that the BRICS Summit declaration will strongly reflect India’s stance on terrorism. Addressing reporters ahead of the visit, Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said the language on terrorism in the BRICS joint statement would be “much to our satisfaction,” noting that all member states have shown solidarity with India over the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
“There is a broader understanding on dealing with the menace of terrorism — and no one should be spared,” Ravi said, adding that the Pahalgam incident is “very well captured” in the declaration text.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is currently in the US for a Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting. Speaking at the UN Headquarters in New York, where he inaugurated an exhibition titled The Human Cost of Terrorism, Jaishankar condemned state-sponsored terrorism and called for global unity in rejecting extremism and impunity.
“Terrorism anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere. The world must come together on some basic concepts — no impunity to terrorists, no treating them as proxies, and no yielding to nuclear blackmail,” he said, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.
During his multi-country tour, Modi will focus on strengthening bilateral ties and promoting economic partnerships:
- Ghana (July 2–3): Marking the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM to Ghana in over three decades, Modi will meet President John Mahama to discuss collaboration in energy, defence, development cooperation, and deeper ties with ECOWAS and the African Union.
- Trinidad & Tobago (July 3–4): At the invitation of PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Modi will hold talks with President Christine Carla Kangaloo and address the country’s Parliament. Discussions will focus on expanding cooperation in pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, and digital infrastructure.
- Argentina (July 4–5): Modi will meet President Javier Milei to review defence, energy, trade, agriculture, and health sector collaboration.
- Brazil (July 5–8): Alongside attending the BRICS Summit, Modi will hold bilateral talks with President Lula to broaden the Strategic Partnership in trade, energy, agriculture, space, and people-to-people links.
- Namibia (July 9): In the final leg of his tour, Modi will meet President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, pay homage to Namibia’s founding leader Dr. Sam Nujoma, and address the Namibian Parliament.
The visit aims to renew economic ties and strengthen bilateral cooperation.The Prime Minister is expected to return to New Delhi on July 10. His tour underscores India’s strategic outreach to non-Western nations and continued diplomatic balancing in a rapidly shifting global landscape. (Source: Indian Express)
