South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives in New Delhi to attend G20 Summit

New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): South African President Cyril Ramaphosa received a rousing welcome as he arrived in the national capital on Friday to attend the G20 Summit hosted by India this year.

He was received by Union Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines, Raosaheb Patil Danve. India and South Africa established a strategic partnership in March 1997.

A number of bilateral agreements have been concluded between the two countries since the assumption of diplomatic relations in 1993 in diverse areas ranging from economic and commercial cooperation, defence, culture, health, human settlements, public administration and science and technology, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

India’s Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) has been a useful medium for promoting cooperation in the development of human resources.

Both countries are observing 25 years of Strategic Partnership in 2023 and 30 years since the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with South Africa.

Earlier last month, PM Narendra Modi attended the 15th BRICS Summit held under the Presidency of South Africa in Johannesburg.

The 11th Session of India-South Africa Foreign Office Consultations was held on August 3 in New Delhi. The Consultations were co-chaired by Puneet R. Kundal, JS (East and Southern Africa), Ministry of External Affairs and Ntombizodwa Msutukazi Lallie, Acting Deputy Director-General Asia and Middle East, Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Republic of South Africa.

During the consultations, both sides expressed satisfaction over the growth in bilateral trade which touched USD 17 billion in 2021-22 and agreed on the importance of further diversifying their trade.

The G20 Summit to be held over the weekend in Delhi will see participation by over 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.