PM Modi embarks on second five-nation tour: A look at many historic firsts and strategic stops

File Photo - Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a joint press conference with Croatian Prime Minister in Zagreb, on June 18, 2025.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a momentous eight-day, five-nation diplomatic tour starting July 2 – his longest international visit in over a decade. The journey is rich in historic firsts and symbolic milestones, showcasing New Delhi’s deepening engagement with the Global South while reinforcing India's strategic presence across continents.

Historic firsts and rare visits

The tour will cover Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia, and will include several unprecedented and rare prime ministerial engagements.

PM Modi’s trip to Ghana will mark the first visit by an Indian prime minister since 1988 – more than three decades. It is expected to strengthen cooperation in key areas such as energy, defence, and development.

No Indian PM has visited Argentina for a standalone bilateral engagement since Jawaharlal Nehru. PM Modi’s meeting with President Javier Milei is expected to focus on boosting cooperation in sectors like defence, agriculture, oil, and mining.

PM Modi’s visit to Trinidad and Tobago comes after a gap of 26 years and is expected to energise India’s ties with the Indian diaspora and bolster cooperation in education, health, and climate resilience.

In yet another first, PM Modi will become only the third Indian prime minister to visit Namibia, and his talks with the newly elected President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will reaffirm India’s development and energy partnerships.

Fourth BRICS Summit appearance in Brazil

The centrepiece of the trip is the 17th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. PM Modi will hold discussions with fellow leaders on global governance reforms, AI regulation, multilateralism, and climate change. This will be his fourth visit to Brazil as PM and will include a state visit to Brasilia, where he is expected to hold detailed bilateral talks with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

On the summit’s sidelines, PM Modi is likely to hold multiple bilateral meetings with other world leaders, as India continues to position itself as a voice of the Global South and a balancing force amid global polarisations.

Significance of the visit

This will be PM Modi’s second five-nation tour since taking office, his previous one being in 2016. However, the scale, geographic breadth, and diplomatic weight of this visit make it one of his most strategically significant overseas forays. The visit also comes amid increasing calls for India to step into a more assertive leadership role in reshaping multilateral institutions, particularly as the BRICS forum expands and seeks greater relevance.