Marking India’s presence at BRICS and IBSA, EAM Sushma Swaraj embarks 5-day visit to South Africa

NewsBharati    02-Jun-2018
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New Delhi, June 2: Bonding the relations with the African regions, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj emplanes to visit South Africa on a five-day visit. It has been stated that during the visit, EAM Sushma Swaraj is expected to have meetings with the top leadership of South Africa. The Minister will also participate in the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting on 4th and chair the IBSA Foreign Ministers Meeting.

Mentioning the motive on embarking the visit, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted, EAM Sushma Swaraj to visit South Africa aiming to attend the BRICS meeting and chair the IBSA meeting.

During her stay, she will visit the Phoenix Settlement, a South African Heritage site, marking the place that served as Mahatma Gandhiji’s home and where he developed his philosophy of non-violence. She will also participate in a series of events on June 6-7, at Pietermaritzburg, to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the historic incident in the train compartment that became a catalyst for Gandhiji’s Satyagraha movement.
The year 2018 is an important year for India-South Africa relations as it marks the 25 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the 125th anniversary of the Pietermaritzburg railway station incident and the 100th Birth Centenary of South African iconic leader, Nelson Mandela. India and South Africa enjoy close and friendly relations which are rooted in our history and the values of south-south cooperation. The visit of External Affairs Minister will further strengthen the close and long-standing ties with South Africa.