New Delhi, Nov 15 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have an extensive agenda lined up for their bilateral meeting next week that will take place on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg, Anil Sooklal, the High Commissioner of South Africa to India, revealed to IANS in an exclusive chat on Saturday.
The G20 Leaders' Summit is set to take place on November 22 and 23 in Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city and economic hub. The meeting between President Ramaphosa and PM Modi, said the South African diplomat, would not only reflect on the status of the current bilateral relationship but also look at new areas of cooperation in areas like security cooperation, people-to-people contact, etc.
"India was one of the first countries to support our struggle against apartheid and to support our liberation struggle. Since we became a democracy in 1994, our relationship has grown significantly. India is our third largest trading partner, one of our most important global partners. We have a very deep foundation that underpins our relationship. The cooperation we have within the multilateral domain, within terms of bilateral trade, is very vibrant, it continues to grow.
"And, I am sure when Prime Minister Modi and President Ramaphosa meet next week for bilateral meeting, which they will have, they will reflect on the status of the relationship and also we look at new areas of cooperation in deepening this very important relationship in areas like security cooperation, in areas like people to people contact. And also, in terms of trade and investment, cultural cooperation, as you know, sports and culture is a major pillar of our cooperation in terms of cementing ties between our respective countries," Sooklal told IANS.
He highlighted that the India-South Africa partnership is based on a shared history and remains a historical relationship.
"Being countries of the Global South, India and South Africa, we both have suffered from exploitation and colonialism and came out of a difficult past. But we are both leading countries of the Global South today. We are member states of many Global South formations. The BRICS is an important platform where we work together with our other BRICS partners. Also, when Prime Minister Modi goes to South Africa next week, he will not only participate in the G20 Summit, we are also having a summit of IBSA, the India Brazil South Africa formation, and this is also an important platform of the Global South with three vibrant democracies coming together. It has been in existence for over two decades," Ambassador Sooklal emphasised.
"We also work very closely together with India, within the climate change discussions, the basic group, we are members of that. Of course, within the global multilateral system, WTO, the UN system, we work very closely together. But at the bilateral level, of course, as I've said, we have a shared history," he added.
On Thursday, while speaking in Kliptown, Ramaphosa said South Africa is ready to welcome world leaders and deliver a successful meeting as most G20 leaders have confirmed their attendance.
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