Johannesburg, 23 November. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday on the sidelines of the ‘G-20 Leaders’ Summit here. During this, PM Modi thanked President Ramaphosa for his good hospitality and successful organization of the summit.

PM Modi also praised the efforts of the South African G20 to take forward and work on the decisions taken during the New Delhi G20 Summit. The two leaders agreed to work together to amplify the voice of the Global South. In this context, PM Modi praised South Africa’s initiative to hold the meeting of IBSA leaders. President Ramaphosa assured South Africa’s full support for India’s upcoming chairmanship of BRICS in 2026.

Expressed happiness over the progress made in various areas of cooperation including mutual relations.

Recalling the historical ties that have strengthened India-South Africa ties, the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and expressed happiness at the progress made in various areas of cooperation, including trade and investment, food security, skills development, mining, youth exchanges and people-to-people ties. They discussed ways to increase cooperation in the fields of AI, digital public infrastructure and essential minerals.

Along with this, both the leaders welcomed the growing presence of Indian firms in South Africa and agreed to facilitate mutual investment, especially in the infrastructure, technology, innovation, mining and start-up sectors.

Thanks to Ramaphosa for bringing South African leopards to India

During this, Prime Minister Modi thanked President Ramaphosa for bringing South African leopards to India and invited him to join the India-led International Big Cat Alliance.

PM Modi wrote about this meeting in a post on social media handle X, ‘Had a very good meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa during the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. We reviewed the full range of the India-South Africa partnership, with a focus on enhancing linkages in commerce, culture, investment, and expanding cooperation across technology, skilling, AI, essential minerals and more. Congratulated President Ramaphosa for South Africa’s successful G20 Presidency.

PM Modi IBSA Also participated in the leaders’ meeting

Earlier, PM Modi participated in the IBSA Leaders’ meeting held in Johannesburg. President Ramaphosa hosted the meeting and was also attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In the IBSA leaders’ meeting, the Prime Minister emphasized that IBSA is not just a group of three countries but an important platform connecting three continents, three big democratic countries and three big economies.