Pretoria, Sep 9 (IANS): South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will visit India to attend the 18th BRICS Summit set to be held in New Delhi on September 12-13, his office announced on Wednesday.
The summit will focus on strengthening BRICS cooperation through a people-centred development agenda, expanding trade and investment, enhancing financial and institutional cooperation, and advancing reform of the United Nations and international financial institutions.
During the summit, the leaders will discuss strengthening unity within the expanded and diverse BRICS membership, advancing global governance reform, and the interests of the Global South. The discussions will be held amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions, including conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine as well as major-power competition, which continue to undermine economic development and the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“South Africa will use the Summit to advance its diplomacy economic priorities, with a particular focus on expanding intra-BRICS trade and investment, promoting industrialisation and value addition, and mobilising investment in African infrastructure aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” the South African President’s office mentioned in a statement on Wednesday.
Ramaphosa will also attend the BRICS Business Forum Leaders’ Dialogue, which will bring together BRICS leaders and business representatives for an interactive dialogue that will cover trade and supply chains, agriculture, women-led development, the digital economy and innovation.
According to the statement, the South African chapters of the BRICS Business Council and BRICS Women’s Business Alliance will participate in the forum to support efforts to deepen commercial ties and identify opportunities for increased investment and economic cooperation.
The BRICS leaders will attend a session titled ‘Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism’. The session with Invited leaders will focus on ‘Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth’. The BRICS Summit will conclude with the adoption of the New Delhi declaration.
For his visit to India, Ramaphosa will be accompanied by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola; Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni; and Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Zuko Godlimpi.
India is set to host the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12-13, bringing together leaders of BRICS members and partner countries as well as outreach invitees.
India’s BRICS Chairship is guided by the theme: ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’, reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of ‘Humanity First’.
BRICS comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates. BRICS partner countries are: Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
