Prime Minister Narendra Modi left on a four-day visit to South Africa and Greece this morning. In Johannesburg, South Africa Mr Modi will attend the 15th BRICS Summit.  

In his departure statement, Mr. Modi said the Summit will provide a useful opportunity for the grouping to identify future areas of cooperation and review institutional development. He said, BRICS has been pursuing a strong cooperation agenda across various sectors. Mr Modi said, India values that BRICS has become a platform for discussing and deliberating on issues of concern for the entire Global South, including development imperatives and reform of the multilateral system. 

From South Africa, the Prime Minister will travel to the Greek capital Athens, at the invitation of Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Mr. Modi said this will be his first visit to the ancient land. The Prime Minister said, he has the honour to be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Greece after 40 years. He said, cooperation in diverse sectors such as trade and investment, defence, and cultural and people-to-people contacts have been bringing the two countries closer.