June 14th 2024.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for Italy on Thursday evening to attend the Group of Seven Summit in Apulia. As he embarks on this international trip, he has a busy schedule ahead with a series of bilateral meetings planned with world leaders on the sidelines of the event.
PM Modi has been invited to attend the G7 Summit's Outreach Session on Friday by Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. According to sources, he will also hold bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before heading to Borgo Egnazia for the G7 meeting.
The Outreach Session, which will focus on topics such as artificial intelligence, energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean, will be followed by bilaterals with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida. However, there is no scheduled bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, although there is a possibility of them meeting informally during the official photo-op.
On the other hand, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan shared with reporters that US President Joe Biden and PM Modi will have an opportunity to encounter each other during the G7 session. "President Biden actually spoke with Prime Minister Modi over the phone while we were in Paris to congratulate him on the election outcome and his third term as Prime Minister," said Sullivan. He also mentioned that the nature of their encounter is still uncertain due to the flexibility of the schedule.
This marks PM Modi's first overseas visit after being re-elected for a third consecutive term, and his fifth consecutive participation in the G7 Summit. "I am delighted that my first visit in my third consecutive term is to Italy for the G7 Summit. I fondly recall my visit to Italy for the G20 Summit in 2021. Prime Minister Meloni's two visits to India last year have played a crucial role in strengthening our bilateral agenda. We remain committed to enhancing the India-Italy strategic partnership and fostering cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean regions," said PM Modi in his departure statement.
This will be India's 11th participation in the G7 Summit, and the discussions during the Outreach Session will revolve around important topics such as artificial intelligence, energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean. PM Modi also highlighted the opportunity to align the outcomes of the G20 Summit, which was held under India's Presidency, with the upcoming G7 Summit and discuss issues that are significant for the Global South.
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