Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, will undertake an official visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini, the Kingdom of Lesotho, and the Republic of South Africa from 18 to 25 July.
During the first leg of his visit, the Minister will be in Eswatini from 18 to 22 July. He is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on King Mswati III and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Eswatini. Margherita will also hold meetings with the Foreign Minister of Eswatini to discuss matters of mutual interest and review the progress of bilateral relations.
The visit will focus on strengthening cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, capacity building, development partnerships, and people-to-people exchanges. The Minister will also engage with the Indian community and participate in events showcasing India’s development partnership initiatives in Eswatini. The visit is expected to further deepen the long-standing friendly relations between India and Eswatini.
In the Kingdom of Lesotho, Margherita will pay a courtesy call on King Letsie III and the Right Samuel Matekane, Prime Minister of Lesotho. He will also hold bilateral discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, as well as other senior ministers, including those responsible for Information, Communications, Science, Technology & Innovation, Education & Training, and Labour and Employment.
This Ministerial visit to Lesotho is taking place after a gap of ten years. The last visit was in July 2015, when Dr. Mahesh Sharma visited Lesotho as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to extend invitations for the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit.
In South Africa, Margherita will lead the Indian delegation at the G20 Development Ministerial Meetings (DMM) scheduled to be held on 24–25 July 2025 in Skukuza. On the sidelines of the DMM, he is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with the South African Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropene Lydia Ramokgopa, along with other Ministers and Heads of Delegations from G20 member states, invited countries and international organisations.
The Minister is also scheduled to have bilateral engagements with business leaders and members of the Indian community during his visit to Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa.
