PM Modi, South African President Ramaphosa review bilateral ties, BRICS cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation with South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa and discussed a wide range of issues including bilateral ties and cooperation at the level of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) grouping. They also talked about regional and global issues, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“The two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation, which is anchored in historic and strong people-to-people ties. Prime Minister thanked the South African President for the relocation of 12 Cheetahs to India earlier this year,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

During the conversation, the two leaders also exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in BRICS in the context of South Africa’s chairmanship this year.

According to the PMO, President Ramaphosa also briefed PM Modi on the African Leaders’ Peace Initiative aimed at resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The African leaders’ peace mission was presented by President Ramaphosa to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during separate telephone calls in May this year.

The principal focus of the mission is to find a peaceful resolution to the devastating conflict in the Ukraine with its cost to human lives and impact on the African continent, the South African government had said in an official statement.

Noting that India was supportive of all initiatives aimed at ensuring durable peace and stability in Ukraine, Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s consistent call for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward, the PMO said.

President Ramaphosa conveyed his full support to India’s initiatives as part of its ongoing G20 Presidency and said that he looked forward to his visit to India.