Rio de Janeiro — In a significant diplomatic engagement at the 17th BRICS Summit held in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed strong interest in India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the globally acclaimed Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
According to an official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the leaders held wide-ranging talks focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in disaster management, healthcare, science and technology, fintech, economic partnerships, and capacity building.
The MEA noted, “President Díaz-Canel acknowledged India’s leadership in the digital space and showed interest in adopting elements of the UPI system and other digital public infrastructure to benefit Cuban citizens.”
In a reciprocal gesture, PM Modi welcomed Cuba’s acceptance of Ayurveda, offering support to integrate traditional Indian medicine into Cuba’s public healthcare system. He also proposed that Cuba recognize the Indian Pharmacopoeia, which would pave the way for access to affordable Indian generic medicines.
The two leaders emphasized shared priorities for the Global South, agreeing to collaborate on crucial global challenges including pandemic response, climate change, and public health. The meeting marked a follow-up to their previous interaction at the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, where Cuba had participated as a special guest.
Taking to social media, PM Modi wrote:
“Meeting Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez was a great experience. We discussed a variety of topics. Our countries’ economic ties have great potential in sectors like technology, healthcare, and energy. Ayurveda’s growing popularity in Cuba is a welcome development, and we even spoke about strengthening disaster management systems.”
The BRICS Summit, hosted by Brazil, included leaders from the expanded group featuring Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia, alongside founding members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Earlier, PM Modi joined other world leaders for the customary family photograph at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, with dignitaries including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and other BRICS representatives.
The India-Cuba dialogue reflects New Delhi’s growing diplomatic engagement with Latin America and its leadership in promoting inclusive, scalable, and secure digital platforms globally.
