PM Modi’s 5-nation, 8-day foreign tour begins; BRICS, trade in focus
Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his five-nation tour on Wednesday, with visits scheduled to Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia between July 2 and 9.
The Prime Minister’s tour is aimed at enhancing India’s engagement with the Global South and its commitment to forging stronger partnerships across the Atlantic.
“I am confident that my visits to the five countries will reinforce our bonds of friendship across the Global South, strengthen our partnerships on both sides of the Atlantic, and deepen engagements in multilateral platforms such as BRICS, the African Union, ECOWAS, and CARICOM," the PM said in his departure statement.
Modi’s first stop is Ghana, where he will be hosted by President John Dramani Mahama. During the July 2–3 visit, the PM is expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in sectors such as investment, energy, health, security, and development.
“Ghana is a valued partner in the Global South and plays an important role in the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States,” he said.
The PM would also address the Parliament of Ghana—a gesture he called “an honour” for both countries as fellow democracies. Then in West Africa, the Prime Minister will travel to Trinidad & Tobago on July 3–4.
Terming the Caribbean nation a country with which India shares a “deep-rooted historical, cultural, and people-to-people connect,” Modi noted that this year marks 180 years since the first Indians arrived there. He will meet President Christine Carla Kangaloo and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who recently began her second term in office.
“This visit will provide an opportunity to rejuvenate the special bonds of ancestry and kinship that unite us,” he said. Following this, the PM will head to Buenos Aires, marking the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM to Argentina in 57 years.
Argentina, described as “a key economic partner in Latin America and a close collaborator in the G20,” is expected to deepen collaboration with India in areas like agriculture, energy, trade, technology, and critical minerals. PM Modi is scheduled to meet President Javier Milei, with whom he held a prior meeting last year.
The Brazil leg of the trip includes participation in the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6–7, followed by a bilateral state visit to Brasília. “India is committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies.
Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic, and balanced multipolar world order,” the PM said. His visit to Brasília—the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly six decades—will include talks with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on shared Global South priorities.
The tour concludes in Namibia, where PM Modi will meet President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. Emphasizing the “common history of struggle against colonialism” that binds the two nations, he said, “It will be a privilege to also address the Joint Session of Namibian Parliament as we celebrate our enduring solidarity and shared commitment to freedom and development.”
Delhi