Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Brazil for the Summit of BRICS leaders was one of his longest visits in the last 11 years. Although he usually travels to another country on the way to reach the Summit Site, and this time he traveled to four destinations. The Prime Minister has reached India from Namibia on Thursday morning. The Prime Minister’s visit on July 2-9, including Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago and Argentina’s stops.
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India and Gaza War
India, especially since the war started in Gaza after the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, has taken even more clear stance in favor of Israel. Developing countries, now collectively called global South.
Focus on global south
Modi’s visit was no coincidence, these five countries are part of the global South. India used the trip to establish itself as a reliable development partner, unlike the Chinese financing model, scalable, low -cost, inclusive solutions. Relations with Ghana were upgraded in extensive partnership, while Namibia became the first country in the world to license India’s Integrated Payment Interface (UPI), which is a major step towards internationalization of this platform. India also offered technical support, easy loans and digital capacity building to partner countries. These are in accordance with Delhi’s strategic efforts to create an alternative mechanism for global north system.
Five new honors
During this visit, Prime Minister Modi was awarded the highest civilian honor of four countries and a symbolic city-level honor in Argentina. These include:
Ghana: Officer of the Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana
Trinidad and Tobago: The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Brazil: The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross
Namibia: Order of the Most Anishent Velvitsia Mirabilis
Argentina: To the City
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UPI gained popularity globally
India’s domestic digital payment platform UPI made headlines during this tour. Namibia signed a licensing agreement, making it the first country in the world to adopt this system. In Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago and Argentina, similar adoption and financial technology cooperation took place. This is an important step in India’s efforts to promote digital public infrastructure (DPI) globally. This strategy connects financial inclusion with foreign policy, which gives India a strategic edge in setting international standards for real-time payment.
Strategic results of BRICS Summit
At the 17th BRICS summit held in Brazil, India focused on reforms in global rule, responsible artificial intelligence (AI), food and energy security and anti-terrorism cooperation. India successfully advocated to include the condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack in the final manifesto – which was a diplomatic victory. Bilateral talks with President Louis Inecio Lula Da Silva entered into agreement on agricultural research, digital solutions, renewable energy, intellectual property and border security. India and Brazil also agreed to establish a ministerial mechanism for monitoring trade and investment, which confirmed the strategic partnership.
Connection with overseas Indians
India celebrated the 180th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Trinidad and highlighted shared colonial history and cultural relations. Modi described the Indo-Caribbean community as a “lively bridge” among the nations. India also pledged to train and support regional religious and cultural leaders. During this visit, the total number of foreign parliamentary speeches so far of Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago and Namibia has increased to 17, which is equivalent to the total speeches of all the Congress prime ministers before them.