India will be rolling out the red carpet for South African President Jacob Zuma in June when he comes to New Delhi for the three-nation IBSA summit in June. Besides engaging with the leaders of India, Brazil and South Africa in the trilateral IBSA format, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is also expected to hold bilateral talks with the leaders from South Africa and Brazil.
Manmohan Singh was in Durban for the 5th BRICS summit last week, but due to scheduling problems at the last minute, he could not hold talks with his South African host. The scheduling hitch was interpreted in a section of the Indian media as Zuma “snubbing” Manmohan Singh, a story that acquired some traction as the South African president hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at the iconic Union Building in Pretoria before kicking off the BRICS summit in the coastal city of Durban.
India’s foreign office has been prompt to dismiss these speculative reports that seemed to suggest a deliberate cold-shouldering of the Indian leader who is said to enjoy a personal rapport with President Zuma.
“The Prime Minister had adequate opportunities to interact with President Zuma on more than one occasion. If there is a feeling that there has not been any interaction, this is absolutely wrong,” Syed Akbaruddin, the spokesperson of India’s external affairs ministry, said in the Indian capital April 3.
The spokesperson admitted that “that there was no structured delegation-level meeting due to scheduling issues,” but rejected the interpretation that “there was any problem in terms of the principals meeting.”
“The principals met not once but on several occasions. They exchanged their views on a whole host of issues including bilateral relations. So, let me clarify on that.”
“Since you are on that issue I would also like to take the opportunity to clarify there is this talk perhaps this was a snub or some sort of a premeditated effort. Absolutely no! Anybody who has followed multilateral meetings is aware that at times schedules slip and it is not possible to have every goal accomplished during the course of a day or a couple of days.”
The spokesperson also underlined that India and South Africa enjoy robust multi-faceted relations. It looks like Manmohan Singh will make up for the missed opportunity when President Zuma visits New Delhi for the IBSA summit in June.
Underscoring special ties between India and South Africa , Zuma chose India as his first destination in Asia when he visited the country in June, 2010. During that visit, India and South Africa had signed three agreements aimed at enhancing business ties and connectivity. The two countries had also agreed to jointly work for the reforms of the global body.
A firm believer in “historic and unique” relations between the two countries dating back to the struggle against apartheid, Zuma is known to be a great admirer of Indian music and food.
“We are at home in India,” Zuma had said famously at a presidential banquet in his honour in the Indian capital.
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