Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed gratitude to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez for their strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, during bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit in Brazil, said MEA Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi on Sunday.
During his meeting with Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, PM Modi extended thanks for Malaysia’s solidarity in denouncing the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir. The two leaders also reviewed key areas of collaboration including the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and regional security.
“PM Modi congratulated Malaysia for its successful leadership of ASEAN and welcomed its continued support for a stronger ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Ravi said.
In a separate meeting with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, both leaders discussed expanding bilateral economic cooperation. Notably, Cuba expressed interest in adopting India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and its Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) models.
“Cuba showed strong interest in exploring India’s low-cost, scalable digital solutions like UPI, which could benefit their economy,” Ravi added.
The conversation also touched upon Ayurveda integration in Cuba’s public healthcare system. PM Modi proposed the recognition of Indian pharmacopoeia to enable access to affordable Indian generic medicines.
“Cuba’s support for integrating Ayurveda into its public health and recognising Indian pharmacopoeia could deepen health cooperation,” said Ravi.
Additionally, PM Modi held brief discussions (pull-asides) with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh, discussing matters of mutual interest.
These meetings highlighted India’s growing strategic engagement with Global South nations, focusing on trade, technology, healthcare, and global solidarity against terrorism.
