PM Modi meets Cuban President; discuss ties in pharma, UPI on sidelines of BRICS

Rio de Janeiro: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez on Sunday discussed ways to bolster bilateral ties across key sectors such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, traditional medicine and digital public infrastructure during a meeting on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit.

According to an official statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both leaders also exchanged views on enhancing cooperation in areas including Ayurveda, Unified Payment Interface (UPI), disaster management, and capacity building.

The two leaders agreed to work on issues of concern to the global South, including in the areas of health, pandemics and climate change. They appreciated the cooperation between the two countries in the multilateral arena, the statement added.

"PM Narendra Modi met with President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez of Cuba on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

He posted, "Both leaders exchanged views on various facets of India-Cuba relationship including in the areas of economic cooperation, biotechnology, pharma, Ayurveda and traditional medicine, Digital Public Infrastructure and UPI, disaster management, and capacity building."