Prime Minister Narendra Modi met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, shortly before Ramaphosa backed his call for reform of the United Nations Security Council.
“Good catching up with my friend, President Ramaphosa of South Africa,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
Speaking at the summit, Ramaphosa backed the demand for reform, saying the Council “has become too rigid, too narrow and too disconnected from today’s multipolar realities”, and is unable to fulfil its primary function of maintaining international peace and security.
Ramaphosa said the Council cannot react effectively to global dangers “ranging from humanitarian crises to open acts of aggression”. “Reform is a necessity. The Security Council must be made more democratic, more regionally representative and more accountable,” he said.
Sunday’s ‘catch-up’ was the second meeting between PM Modi and Ramaphosa in 19 days, having last met in Canada during the G7 Summit.
India and South Africa have several joint projects covering skills development, trade, economic cooperation and technology. They plan to deepen their strategic partnership, focusing on sectors such as agro-processing, defence, mining and finance. Bilateral trade between the two countries currently stands at nearly $20 billion.
PM Modi last visited South Africa in 2023 for the BRICS summit and held bilateral talks with leaders there.
Notably, Ramaphosa was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in 2019 and last visited India in 2023 to attend the G20 summit.
As one of Africa’s leading voices, South Africa joins India in representing the Global South in international forums.
IANS