EAM Jaishankar calls on SA President Ramaphosa; meets counterparts from Russia, China

Johannesburg: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday called on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and conveyed the warm greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Jaishankar, who is in Johannesburg on a two-day visit to South Africa to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, assured India’s support for South Africa’s G20 priorities.

“Honoured to call on President @CyrilRamaphosa of South Africa on the sidelines of the G20 FMM in Johannesburg. Conveyed the warm greetings of Prime Minister @narendramodi. Assured India’s support for South Africa’s G20 priorities,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.

South Africa holds the Presidency of the G20 for this year, the first time that it is being hosted on the African continent.

On the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Jaishankar interacted with several world leaders, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.

“Glad to meet FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia this evening in Johannesburg. Reviewed the continued progress of India-Russia bilateral cooperation,” he said.

“Discussed recent developments pertaining to the Ukraine conflict, including his Riyadh meeting. Agreed to remain in touch,” he added.

He also met his counterparts from Singapore, Brazil and Ethiopia and discussed with them global developments and ways to enhance bilateral ties.

He met Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira on the margins of the meet.

“Always a good conversation with FM @VivianBala of Singapore, this time in Johannesburg on the sidelines of G20 FMM. Discussed the state of the world and our work in furthering bilateral ties,” Jaishankar posted on X.

He said he and Vieira of Brazil discussed bilateral ties, global developments and their work in the G20 and Brazil’s BRICS Presidency.

The Brazilian government announced last week that the next BRICS summit will take place in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7.

BRICS, formed in 2009, is the only major international group of which the United States is not a part.

Its members include Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

Jaishankar also met with his Ethiopian counterpart Gedion Timotheos and congratulated him on his appointment. The two leaders agreed to work together to strengthen a longstanding bilateral partnership.