PM Modi looks forward to engaging with BRICS leaders; says he will visit Myanmar for two days

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a series of tweets on the even before embarking on the BRICS summit in Xiamen, China.

PM Modi said that the summit would be building on what the five nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – built on from last year’s meeting in Goa.

The three-day summit in Xiamen, a southeastern Chinese city in Fujian province, will begin tomorrow even as authorities declared a high alert with Typhoon Mawar expected to hit the coastal region.

"We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries.  In addition, I look forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, hosted by President Xi Jinping on 5 September.  I will have the opportunity to meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the Summit.  India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security," the prime minister said in a Facebook post.

The Prime Minister also added that following the BRICS summit, he would visit Myanmar between September 5 and September 7 to boost bilateral relations between with that country.

The Prime Minister’s trip will include trips to the capital Yangon and Bagan. He said that he will also interact with the Indian community in Myanmar.

He stressed on topics such as counter-terrorism, trade, investment, culture, skill development and energy.

"I am looking forward to meeting President U Htin Kyaw as also Her Excellency Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of President's Office. I have had the opportunity for discussions with both dignitaries during their visits to India in 2016.

"During the visit, we will review developments in our bilateral relations, especially the extensive programme of development cooperation and socio-economic assistance that India is undertaking in Myanmar, and explore new areas in which we can work together.

"We will also look at strengthening our existing cooperation on security and counter-terrorism, trade and investment, skill development, infrastructure and energy, and culture.

"I also look forward to paying a visit to the famed heritage city of Bagan, where the Archaeological Survey of India has done stellar work on renovating the Ananda Temple, and where it will be undertaking further restoration work on a number of pagodas and murals that were damaged in last year's earthquake.

"I will end my visit in Yangon, where I look forward to visiting various historical spots that symbolise the shared heritage of India and Myanmar.

"I am also keen to meet and interact with the Indian-origin community of Myanmar, whose history goes back more than a century.

"I am confident that the visit will open a bright new chapter in India-Myanmar relations and will help in charting a roadmap for closer cooperation between our Governments, our business communities and at the people to people level," the prime minister wrote.