PM Modi & Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina exchange pleasantries at BRICS summit dinner

Johannesburg, Aug 24 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina exchanged pleasantries at a dinner here hosted by the current Chair of the BRICS and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

South African President Ramaphosa on Wednesday hosted a dinner at Gallagher Estate, Midrand in Johannesburg in honour of heads of the states and governments who arrived in Johannesburg to join the 15th BRICS Summit at his invitation.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was a few yards away from the Bangladesh premier, walked to Sheikh Hasina and exchanged pleasantries,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen was quoted as saying by Bangladesh’s national news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).

“The two prime ministers also inquired about each other’s well-being for a while,” Momen said.

The BRICS bloc – comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade.

Over 20 heads of state from Africa and the Middle East have also been invited to attend the summit. A number of them have applied to become members of BRICS, which is one of the matters on the agenda for the summit this year.