PM Narendra Modi: Arriving late on Thursday night (local time), Modi is in Italy for the 50th G7 Summit, taking place from June 13 to June 15. This is Modi’s first trip overseas after taking up the PM role for the third time in a row after the NDA, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, won the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
I will be attending the G7 Summit in Italy. I look forward to meeting fellow world leaders and discussing a wide range of issues aimed at making our planet better and improving lives of people. https://t.co/wjJ2iGnWYo
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 13, 2024
At Giorgia Meloni’s request, Modi is taking part in the G7 outreach session in the Apulia area of Italy. The Israel-Hamas war talks and the Russia-Ukraine war are the main topics of discussion at the summit, which is taking place at the Fasano resort. Apart from India, the outreach session is being attended by the leaders of Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia, and Turkey.
G7 Summit 2024: Looking forward to engaging in productive discussions with world leaders, says PM Modihttps://t.co/wQjeY61xOQ#Modi #Biden
— Geoff Lyon (@geofflyonn) June 14, 2024
What is PM Narendra Modi planning to do?
Modi will have a jam-packed day of activities in Italy on Friday as part of the G7 outreach program. He will take part in a summit session headed by Italian Prime Minister Meloni, entitled “Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa-Mediterranean.” Pope Francis will also be present at this session.
PM Narendra Modi declared that he would take advantage of the G7 Summit to discuss matters that are vital to the Global South and to establish a synergy between the outcomes of the G20 Summit, which was hosted under India’s presidency.
Along with Meloni, Modi will have bilateral discussions with other international leaders on a range of topics. Additionally, bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and US President Joe Biden are anticipated. Although a bilateral meeting between Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not scheduled, it is possible that they may exchange courtesies. Though there have been no official confirmations, there have been rumors that Modi will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
Modi will also speak during the G7 Summit’s outreach session.
In a farewell statement released on Thursday night, Prime Minister Modi stated, “I look forward to meeting fellow world leaders and discussing a wide range of issues aimed at making our planet better and improving the lives of people.” He also expressed his satisfaction that his third foreign trip as PM was to Italy for the Summit.
#WATCH | Borgo Egnazia: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni receives United Kingdom PM Rishi Sunak, as he arrives for the 50th G7 Summit.
(Video Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/fpGFlnDZ2r
— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2024
“I cherish the memories of my trip to Italy in 2021 for the G20 Summit. The two trips to India by Prime Minister Meloni last year were crucial in giving our bilateral agenda more vigor and substance. We are still dedicated to strengthening collaboration in the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean regions, as well as to strengthening the strategic alliance between Italy and India,” he continued.
In the meantime, Modi has opted out of attending the June 15–16 Ukraine Peace Summit, which Switzerland is hosting at Burgenstock. India will be represented at this summit “at an appropriate level,” according to foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra, though New Delhi has not yet decided who will go.