PM Modi Meets South African President Ramaphosa at G20: Advancing Bilateral Relations and Global Cooperation Initiatives

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg on Sunday.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (Economic Relations) Sudhakar Dalela and other officials were present at the meeting.

The discussion between President Ramaphosa and PM Modi was anticipated to evaluate the current bilateral relationship and explore new cooperation areas including security collaboration and people-to-people exchanges.

President Ramaphosa had warmly welcomed PM Modi upon his arrival to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit at Nasrec in Johannesburg the previous day.

During both sessions of the opening day, PM Modi emphasized the necessity for enhanced global cooperation, disaster resilience, and sustainable development approaches.

Through several posts on X and detailed remarks shared by the Prime Minister's Office, PM Modi highlighted India's human-centric growth approach while urging the G20 to adopt development parameters that balance progress with environmental well-being.

The Prime Minister noted that the second session focused on building resilience against disasters and climate change, ensuring just energy transitions, and strengthening global food systems. "India has been actively working on all these fronts, building a future that is human-centric and inclusive," he wrote.

PM Modi reaffirmed India's position that major global challenges require coordinated global solutions, explaining this conviction drove India to establish the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group during its G20 Presidency. He advocated for shifting disaster management from a "response-centric" to a "development-centric" model, citing the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure as an example.

Additionally, the Prime Minister proposed creating a G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership to make satellite data and analysis from G20 space agencies more accessible to developing countries, particularly in the Global South. He emphasized that improved access to space-based tools would assist nations with agriculture, fisheries, and disaster management.

Reinforcing India's commitment to sustainability and clean energy, PM Modi introduced a G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative aimed at promoting recycling, urban mining, second-life batteries and related innovations to secure supply chains and create cleaner development pathways.