Speculation put to rest as PM Modi set to attend BRICS summit in South Africa

ALL speculation over Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's participation in the upcoming BRICS summit in South Africa later this month was put to rest as he confirmed his travel to the host nation in a telephonic talk with its president Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday (3).

According to a press release by India's ministry of external affairs, Modi accepted Ramaphosa's invitation to attend the BRICS leaders' gathering to be held between August 22 and 24 and said that he looked forward to visiting Johannesburg for the same.

It will be Modi's third visit to South Africa since becoming the prime minister in 2014.

The release also said that the South African president conveyed his full support to India's initiatives as part of its G20 presidency which is currently underway and said he was looking forward to visiting New Delhi in September for the bloc's summit.

Modi and Ramaphosa also discussed progress in the bilateral relations between India and South Africa during their conversation.

“The two leaders positively assessed the progress in bilateral cooperation, including in the context of the thirtieth anniversary of establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations being celebrated in 2023," the press release added.

Speculation over Modi's in-person attendance at the summit was rife after Russian president Vladimir Putin cancelled his participation.

In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader following reports of an effort to deport Ukrainian children to Russia came to the fore. As South Africa is a signature to the Rome statute that governs the court, the host nation might have been forced to arrest Putin. While a debate started in South Africa over the issue, the Russian president announced that he would attend the summit virtually.

Putin is currently facing worldwide condemnation over his country's military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The upcoming BRICS summit could witness the grouping's expansion with more members joining in. Currently, it comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as signified by the acronym.