Prime Minister Narendra Modi was careful not to step on the Indian flag during a photoshoot at the BRICS summit at Johannesburg today.
The position of each country leader was marked with the national flag on stage. A video shows Prime Minister Modi and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa approaching their positions. The Prime Minister picks up the flag and keeps it in his jacket pocket.
The South African president, who had already stepped over his country's flag, noticed the gesture and picked it up. He then handed it over to a colleague. The woman offered to take the flag from PM Modi, who appeared to gesture that he'd rather keep it.
The Prime Minister is in South Africa to attend a summit of BRICS -- a grouping of India, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.
Earlier today, PM Modi met with the South African president for bilateral talks. "They discussed strengthening the India-South Africa partnership in diverse sectors such as boosting business ties, security and people-to-people connect," the Prime Minister's office said.
PM @narendramodi held a productive meeting with President @CyrilRamaphosa in Johannesburg. They discussed strengthening the India-South Africa partnership in diverse sectors such as boosting business ties, security and people-to-people connect. pic.twitter.com/P1XXBgyKgh
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 23, 2023This is the Prime Minister's third visit to South Africa. This trip also marks the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between India and South Africa.
There is speculation about a possible meeting between the Prime Minister and Chinese president Xi Jinping, but there is no confirmation of this yet. Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra earlier said the Prime Minister's schedule is "still being developed".
The Prime Minister, while leaving for the summit, said he hoped the meeting would provide a useful opportunity for all members to "identify future areas of cooperation". "... BRICS has become a platform for discussing and deliberating on issues of concern for the Global South," he said.
