Narendra Modi to travel to SA for Brics summit

New Delhi — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Johannesburg to attend a summit of the Brics group of nations later in August, the Indian government said on Thursday.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is due to host most leaders of Brics’ five member states — Brazil, Russia, India, China and SA — on August 22-24. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend virtually, due to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant related to the war in Ukraine.

China and Russia are keen to discuss expansion of the organisation, which aims to offset the perceived hegemony of the US-led West in global affairs. India has reservations about accepting more members.

Modi spoke with Ramaphosa by phone earlier on Thursday, India’s government said in a statement.

He said he looked forward to his visit to Johannesburg to participate in the summit.

The statement quashed rumours emanating from India on Wednesday that the prime minister was likely going to be a virtual participant at the summit too.

The statement quoted unnamed sources.

The Indian foreign ministry declined to comment, while the prime minister’s office did not respond when asked if Modi would travel to Johannesburg for the August 22-24 summit.

The Russian-Ukraine war is also likely to be discussed as is the decision by Russia to can the grain export deal mediated by Turkey in 2022.

For the past two weeks, Turkey has been struggling to get Moscow back into the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which enables Ukraine to export its grain by sea despite a wartime blockade by Russia.

Nearly 33-million tonnes of Ukrainian grain have been exported since the signing of the agreement in 2022.

The deal brought political mileage to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for getting Russia and Ukraine to resume Kyiv’s grain exports through Black Sea ports, averting a global wheat crisis.

When Moscow extended the accord for another 60 days in May, it warned it would not renew the deal unless Russian demands were met. Moscow’s demands include reconnecting Russia’s agricultural bank to the Swift payment system, lifting restrictions on maritime insurance and the supply of spare parts used in agricultural machinery, and, most importantly, ending sanctions against Russian fertiliser companies. 

India last month hosted a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in a virtual format after changing its plans to organise it in New Delhi, without giving an official reason.

One Indian government official said there is growing discomfort in New Delhi about being part of groupings such as Brics and Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, which China dominates, especially as India inches closer to the US and other Western powers.

Relations between New Delhi and Beijing nosedived after a clash on their disputed Himalayan border in 2020 in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit was held days after Modi returned from a state visit to Washington where President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet for him.

Still, India has frustrated Western capitals over its unwillingness to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Instead, New Delhi has expanded trade with Moscow, buying record amounts of oil.

India holds the presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) grouping and will host a summit of its leaders in early September.

Ramaphosa said he was interested in visiting India for the G20 summit later in 2023, according to the statement. 

Reuters