Deepening partnerships across continents, PM Modi set to embark on five-nation tour next week

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a five-nation visit starting July 2, visiting Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday.

In the first leg of his visit, PM Modi will visit Ghana (July 2-3) which will be Prime Minister's first ever bilateral visit to Ghana. This Prime Ministerial visit from India to Ghana is taking place after three decades. During the visit, Prime Minister will hold talks with the President of Ghana to review the strong bilateral partnership and discuss further avenues to enhance it through economic, energy, and defence collaboration, and development cooperation partnership.

"This visit will reaffirm the shared commitment of the two countries to deepen bilateral ties and strengthen India's engagement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union," the MEA stated.

In the second leg of his visit, at the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister Modi will pay an official visit to the Caribbean nation from July 3-4. This will be his first visit to the country as Prime Minister and the first bilateral visit at the Prime Ministerial level to T&T since 1999. During the visit, Prime Minister will hold talks with the President of Trinidad and Tobago Christine Carla Kangaloo and Prime Minister Bissessar on further strengthening of the India-Trinidad and Tobago relationship. Prime Minister is also expected to address a Joint Session of the Parliament of T&T. The visit of Prime Minister to T&T, the MEA said, will impart fresh impetus to the deep-rooted and historical ties between the two countries.

Last November, while addressing the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit in Georgetown, Prime Minister Modi had underscored that India stands firmly for giving voice to the concerns of the Global South. Noting that the Global South countries were the most impacted by the challenges and conflicts of recent years, he had also reaffirmed India's steadfast commitment to Caribbean countries as a reliable partner.

It was on the sidelines of the Summit in Guyana that PM Modi also met with the then Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley and congratulated him for adoption of India's flagship UPI Platform by the Caribbean nation while assuring further collaboration in the field of digital transformation.

Both countries also share deep-rooted people-to-people ties since 1845, when the first ship 'Fatel Razack' carrying 225 Indian indentured workers reached the shores of Trinidad, then a British colony.

In the third leg of his visit, at the invitation of the President of Republic of Argentina Javier Milei, Prime Minister will travel to Argentina from July 4-5. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with President Milei to review ongoing cooperation and discuss ways to further enhance India-Argentina partnership in key areas including defence, agriculture, mining, oil and gas, renewable energy, trade and investment, and people-to-people ties. The bilateral visit of Prime Minister will further deepen the multifaceted Strategic Partnership between India and Argentina.

The multi-faceted relations between the two countries have strengthened, especially after being elevated to the level of Strategic Partnership during the State Visit to India of the then President of Argentina in February 2019.

In what was the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders, Prime Minister Modi had met Milei, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024.

The two leaders, the PMO stated after the meeting, had an engaging discussion and also expressed satisfaction at the broadening of the Strategic Partnership between the two vibrant democracies in the last few years. They had also noted the deepening of trade and economic relations with India emerging among the top five trading partners of Argentina.

In the fourth leg of his visit, at the invitation of President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, PM Modi will travel to Brazil from July 5-8, to attend the 17th BRICS Summit 2025 followed by a State Visit.

The BRICS Summit will be held at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7.

This will be Prime Minister's fourth visit to Brazil. The 17th BRICS Leaders' Summit will be held in Rio de Janeiro. During the Summit, Prime Minister will exchange views on key global issues including reform of global governance, peace and security, strengthening multilateralism, responsible use of artificial intelligence, climate action, global health, economic and financial matters.

"Prime Minister is also likely to hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summit. For the State Visit to Brazil, Prime Minister will travel to Brasilia where he will hold bilateral discussions with President Lula on the broadening of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries in areas of mutual interest, including trade, defence, energy, space, technology, agriculture, health and people to people linkages," the MEA statement mentioned.

In the last Summit, held under Russia's chairship in Kazan in October 2024, PM Modi had noted that the event was taking place at a time when the world is undergoing several uncertainties and challenges including conflicts, adverse climatic impacts, and cyber threats, placing greater expectations upon BRICS.

In the final leg of his visit, at the invitation of the President of Namibia Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Prime Minister Modi will embark on a State Visit to Namibia on July 9. This will be the first visit of Prime Minister to Namibia, and the third-ever Prime Ministerial visit from India to Namibia. During his visit, Prime Minister will hold bilateral talks with President Nandi-Ndaitwah and will also pay homage to the Founding Father and first President of Namibia, late Dr. Sam Nujoma. He is also expected to deliver an address at the Parliament of Namibia. The visit of Prime Minister is a reiteration of India's multi-faceted and deep-rooted historical ties with Namibia.

Consolidating India's position as a voice of the Global South, Prime Minister Modi has been spotlighting India's emergence as a 'Vishwa Bandhu' in a divided world.

Over the last 11 years, India has also strongly established itself as an all-weather friend of Africa with PM Modi emphasising New Delhi's commitment to the continent.

Picture Courtesy: IANS