Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the G7 Outreach Summit in Apulia, Italy, today. He reached Italy last night on a two-day visit to the country at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni. India has been invited as an outreach country. On the sidelines of his visit, Mr. Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings and discussions with the leaders of the G7, the outreach countries, and international organizations. The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In a video posted on social media, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal gave the details of Mr. Modi’s engagements with world leaders. Mr. Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This is Prime Minister Modi’s first overseas visit after assuming office for the third consecutive term.
In his departure statement, the Prime Minister said that the government is committed to consolidating the India-Italy strategic partnership and bolstering cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean regions. Mr. Modi said he is glad that his first visit in the third consecutive term is to Italy for the G-7 Summit. He highlighted that Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s two visits to India last year were instrumental in infusing momentum and depth into the bilateral agenda.
Mr. Modi said that during the discussions at the outreach session, the focus would be on artificial intelligence, energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean. He said it will be an opportunity to bring greater synergy between the outcomes of the G20 Summit held under India’s presidency and the forthcoming G7 Summit and deliberate on issues that are crucial for the Global South. Mr. Modi said he is also looking forward to meeting other leaders participating in the summit.
This will be India’s 11th participation in the G7 Summit and Prime Minister Modi’s fifth consecutive participation at the summit. India’s regular participation at the G7 Summit clearly points to increasing recognition and contribution of the efforts that India has been consistently making in trying to resolve global challenges, including those of peace, security, development, and environment preservation.
The Prime Minister’s participation in the G7 Summit would also provide a timely opportunity to follow up on the outcomes of the G20 Summit held last year. Besides India, Italy, as part of the G7 presidency, has also invited Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, the UAE, and some international organisations, including the United Nations.