PM Modi attends India-Brazil-South Africa leaders' meeting on sidelines of G-20 Summit in Johannesburg

Johannesburg [South Africa], November 23 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attended the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) leaders' meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, where he joined Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa for discussions on trilateral cooperation and global priorities.

PM Modi emphasised that IBSA is not just a group of three countries but an important platform connecting three continents, three major democratic nations, and three major economies, as per Ministry of External Affairs statement.

Furthermore, he called on IBSA to send a strong message that reform of institutions of global governance, in particular the UN Security Council, is now not an option, but an imperative.

PM Modi also noted that "there should be no room for double standards while fighting terrorism" and urged for close participation from the other nations in the fight against terrorism.

"Highlighting technology's crucial role in ensuring human-centric development, Prime Minister proposed establishing an 'IBSA Digital Innovation Alliance' to facilitate sharing of Digital Public Infrastructure like UPI, health platforms like CoWIN, cybersecurity frameworks and women-led tech initiatives among the three countries", MEA added in the statement.

The meeting took place as Modi continued his packed diplomatic schedule at the G20, marking his second day of engagements with world leaders.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister held a bilateral meeting with President Ramaphosa, described by officials as warm and productive. Modi congratulated South Africa for its successful G20 presidency, acknowledging Ramaphosa's leadership in steering consensus on key global issues.

According to MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, the two leaders discussed strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, mining, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, Digital Public Infrastructure, skill development and food security. They also explored the possibility of launching youth delegation exchanges to deepen ties in technology and people-to-people engagement.

"PM congratulated President Ramaphosa & South Africa for the successful presidency of @G20. Discussions focused on further cooperation in trade, investment, mining, critical minerals, AI, Digital Public Infrastructure, skill development and food security. The leaders discussed initiating exchange of youth delegations for enhancing technology and people to people ties", MEA wrote in an X post.

Earlier, MEA, in its press release, also noted that the Prime Minister appreciated the initiative taken by South Africa to hold an IBSA leaders meeting.

The theme for this year's G20 Leaders' Summit 2025, being hosted for the first time on African soil, is 'Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability'.

At the opening session of the G20 Leaders' Meeting a day earlier, PM Modi called on member nations to reassess global development frameworks and proposed launching a G20 initiative to counter the drug-terror nexus, along with the formation of a global healthcare response team. His address underscored that major global issues demand coordinated international efforts.

During a session titled 'A Resilient World - the G20's Contribution to Disaster Risk Reduction; Climate Change; Just Energy Transitions; Food Systems', PM Modi reiterated India's focus on a development path that is human-centric, sustainable and inclusive. He pointed out that India's approach aligns closely with global efforts to strengthen resilience against emerging challenges.

Sharing reflections on X, PM Modi posted, "The second session at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg focused on building a resilient world in the face of disasters, climate change and ensuring energy transitions that are just as well as robust food systems. India has been actively working on all these fronts, building a future that is human-centric and inclusive."

On arrival at the summit venue on Saturday, President Ramaphosa greeted PM Modi warmly with a 'namaste', symbolising the close ties between the two nations.

PM Modi also engaged with numerous world leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Brazilian President Lula da Silva and others.

Following his meeting with the British Prime Minister, PM Modi wrote on X, "It was wonderful meeting Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Johannesburg. This year has brought new energy to the India UK partnership and we will keep driving it forward across many domains."

He said he had a "great exchange of views" with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and noted that the two nations aim "to diversify bilateral cooperation." PM Modi added that he was "delighted" to meet President Macron, explaining that they "had an engaging exchange on different issues. India-France ties remain a force for global good!" (ANI)

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