PM Modi invites S African prez Ramaphosa to be 2019 R-Day chief guest

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the G-20 summit here and invited him to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations next year, which also marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The South African leader accepted the invitation to grace the occasion.

"Glad to have met President @CyrilRamaphosa. At a time when India is marking the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, it is our honour to welcome President Ramaphosa as the Chief Guest for the 2019 Republic Day celebrations. Bapu's close link with South Africa is well known," Modi tweeted after the meeting.

He said Ramaphosa's visit to India will further cement bilateral ties between the two countries.

"The upcoming visit of President @CyrilRamaphosa, and that too during the special occasion of India's Republic Day will further cement business and people-to-people ties between India and South Africa," Modi tweeted.

Following the meeting between Modi and Ramaphosa, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Ravish Kumar tweeted, "150 years of Mahatma & 100 years of Madiba!"