New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): With 21st-century technologies increasingly reliant on critical minerals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming five-nation tour, beginning July 2, is expected to expand India's bilateral cooperation in sectors such as mining, mineral resources, and energy.

At a special briefing ahead of PM Modi's visits to Ghana, Argentina, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and Namibia, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Dammu Ravi, spoke about the growing importance of critical minerals for new-age technologies.

'In terms of critical minerals, the new technologies of the 21st century, all of them depend on critical minerals, and we have to be aware of the fact that these technologies of the 21st century, critical minerals are very, very important. We have to find ways to get bilateral understanding mechanisms to be able to capture that. And just not in the context of bilaterally, but also in terms of partner countries, partnering with many countries to be harnessing critical minerals, both in terms of the processes and acquiring these minerals around the world,' Ravi said.

Ravi highlighted the mineral wealth of Africa and Latin America, saying, 'Africa is full of those minerals, and we believe that we have to be much more focused on being able to tap that resource in Africa. And I think KABIL and National Mineral Development Corporation they're very much actively looking at opportunities in Africa. In this context, the Prime Minister's visit to both Ghana and Namibia becomes very important. These are areas where we believe there's a lot of opportunity, and we will be looking at it very closely.'

He added that defence cooperation, critical minerals, and digital public infrastructure (DPI) will be among the top items on the agenda during the Ghana leg of the tour.

Meanwhile, Secretary (East) P Kumaran informed that PM Modi will attend the BRICS Summit in Brazil, which will be followed by a state visit.

Earlier, PM Modi had visited Brazil on three occasions, the first in July 2014, followed by another visit in 2019 to attend the BRICS summit, and in November last year to attend the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Speaking about the upcoming state visit, Kumaran, said, 'The state visit will provide an opportunity to review the entire gamut of our partnership, including trade and investments, oil and gas, renewable energy, mining and critical minerals, defense and security, agriculture and livestock, healthcare and traditional medicine, tourism, space, science and technology, DPI, and also sports and people-to-people relations in general. Both leaders will also be discussing during their talks global issues of mutual interest.'

He also stated that India and Brazil are looking at a few important bilateral Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements, especially in renewable energy, agricultural research, and security cooperation.

Additionally, Kumaran highlighted that Prime Minister Modi's visit to Argentina will be the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister in the last 57 years and described it as 'historic'.

He noted that India's advancements in defence manufacturing, the space sector, and emerging areas such as information technology and digital public infrastructure (DPI) can offer valuable expertise to Argentina.

'Our expertise in Telemedicine and Digital healthcare solutions are also an offer for Argentina in expanding access to medical services and improving overall quality and cost-effective healthcare delivery,' he added.

Kumaran pointed out that Argentina holds the world's second-largest shale gas reserves and the fourth-largest shale oil reserves, along with substantial conventional oil and gas deposits, making it a potentially important energy partner for India in the future.

'Argentina's rich reserves of critical minerals such as lithium, copper and other rare earth elements complement India's growing need for secure and sustainable supplies to these elements for its clean energy transition and industrial growth. India's public sector, KABIL, has already won a few concessions in Argentina since 2024. Our leaders will be discussing more on this subject,' he said.

'The visit is expected to further strengthen the strategic partnership and open new avenues of cooperation. These include trade and investment, health and pharmaceuticals, defence and security infrastructure, mining and mineral resources, agriculture and food security, green energy, ICT, digital innovation, disaster management, S&T, education and people-to-people linkages,' he added. (ANI)