International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor has dismissed suggestions that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will no longer attend the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa next month.
“The Prime Minister of India has never said he is not attending the Summit. I'm in constant contact with the foreign affairs minister. Minister Jaishankar has never said it.”
Pandor’s remarks emerged from a media briefing on Monday afternoon where she reiterated South Africa’s readiness to host the Summit which will held from August 22 - August 24 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
She fielded a question about unconfirmed reports that Modi was no longer willing to travel to SA to attend the gathering and had allegedly indicated this in “a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.”
Further remarking on the matter, she added: “I did speak to various colleagues from in government and outside and everybody was astounded at this rumour. I think there is someone who is trying to spoil our Summit and create all sorts of stories that suggest that it won't be successful...”
She maintained that a call call had been made and had been in place for quite some time.
“As we know, the President (Ramaphosa) interfaces with all the BRICS leaders on a consistent basis. You would also remember that the President has been sharing deliberations on the matter of the Africa peace mission with all the BRICS leaders as matter develop and so we did have the phone call on our agenda but had nothing to do with this purported rumour of non-attendance,” she said.
This will be the first BRICS Summit held in person following the Covid-19 pandemic and global travel restrictions.
All BRICS bloc members will be in attendance with Pandor confirming the participation of all heads of State which include Brazilian President Lula da Silva, China’s Xi Jinping, Modi while Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in some of the leaders discussion virtually.
South Africa has also received confirmation from a number of African countries who will be in attendance.
Pandor indicated Dirco is unable to give a list of names at the moment but said "we have had formal expressions of interest from the Leaders of 23 countries in joining BRICS, and many more informal approaches about the possibilities of BRICS membership.“
The countries are: Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, State of Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Viet Nam.
SA is also looking forward to the BRICS games which will be held in October.
Leading up to the Summit the South African Department of Trade, Industry and Competition will host a session alongside the BRICS Business Council and on the afternoon of August 22 BRICS bloc leaders are set to receive a report on the outcomes of the deliberations in a Business Forum and will deliver statements reflecting on BRICS economic relations.
This will be followed by a BRICS Leaders Retreat - an informal meeting which will be held at a secret location.
“This is a signature event of South Africa as BRICS Chair. Leaders meet in a comfortable setting in a private venue for an unscripted discussion of contemporary issues of importance. There is no set agenda and Leaders can initiate a discussion on issues of choice such as BRICS membership expansion, reform of global governance, or use of local currencies,” Pandor said.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa is expected to host his Chinese-counterpart Jinping for a State Visit shortly before the Summit proceedings kick off.
IOL