Rio de Janeiro/New Delhi, July 7 (Reporter) Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with the President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez on the sidelines of the Rio BRICS Summit, during which they discussed enhancing economic ties, as well as cooperation in biotechnology, pharma, Ayurveda and Digital Public Infrastructure among other things. The PM said in a post on X after their meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday: “It was wonderful to meet President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez of Cuba. In our talks, we covered a wide range of subjects. Economic relations between our nations have a lot of potential to grow in the coming times. “Equally promising are sectors like technology, healthcare and energy. The growing acceptance of Ayurveda in Cuba is surely a great thing. We even discussed ways to strengthen disaster management apparatus.” The Cuban President said in a post on X that it was a fruitful meeting with the Indian PM. “In fruitful meeting with the Prime Minister @narendramodi, we analyze the areas of special economic-commercial interest, cooperation and investments that currently exist between the #India and #Cuba. “We agree on the excellent state of bilateral relations.” The MEA spokesperson said in a post on X: “PM @narendramodimet with President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez of Cuba on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Both leaders exchanged views on various facets of relationship including in the areas of economic cooperation, biotechnology, pharma, Ayurveda and traditional medicine, Digital Public Infrastructure & UPI, disaster management, and capacity building.” The Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez P, in a post said the two leaders highlighted the potential in areas such as biotechnology, energy, agriculture, communications, and tourism. “In a meeting with the Prime Minister of #India, @narendramodi, President @DiazCanelB highlighted the existing potential in economic-commercial and cooperation areas, mainly in fields such as biotechnology, energy, agriculture, communications, and tourism.” According to a readout: Prime Minister Modi had earlier met President Diaz-Canel at the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in 2023, where Cuba was a special invitee. "The two leaders reviewed bilateral ties in the areas of economic cooperation, development partnership, fintech, capacity building, science and technology, disaster management and healthcare. "Acknowledging India’s expertise in the digital domain, President Diaz-Canel expressed interest in India’s Digital Public Infrastructure and UPI. Prime Minister conveyed appreciation for Cuba’s recognition of Ayurveda and extended support for integrating Ayurveda into Cuba’s public health system. "Prime Minister proposed Cuba’s recognition of Indian pharmacopoeia, which will lead to access to Indian generic medicines. "The two leaders agreed to work on issues of concern to the global South, including in the areas of health, pandemics and climate change. They appreciated the cooperation between the two countries in the multilateral arena...////...