Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the G-7 Summit in Italy from Thursday, June 13 to Sunday, June 15. He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with world leaders on a range of issues from the global economy to the Global South, the Russia-Ukraine war, national security to bilateral relations.
Indian Ambassador to Italy Vani Rao said that Prime Minister Modi will play an important role in the G-7 summit. India has been invited to the summit as an outreach country. The G-7 summit will take place at the luxurious Borgo Egnazia resort in the Apulia region of Italy.
This will be PM Modi’s first foreign visit since the start of his third consecutive term as the Prime Minister of India. Also, the latest G7 summit will mark India’s 11th participation in the G7 summit and PM Modi’s fifth consecutive participation in the G7 summit.
As the summit is set to begin in a few hours, Prime Minister Modi’s programme, the list of leaders he would meet and the likely topics that would be raised during the discussions are being discussed in detail.
1. When will PM Modi attend the G-7 summit in Italy?
Prime Minister Modi will attend the G-7 Summit on Friday 14 June. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said in a press conference on Wednesday 12 June, “…at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Apulia, Italy tomorrow to attend the 50th G-7 Summit, which will be held there on 14 June, where India has been invited as an outreach country…”
#Watch | Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said, “…at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Apulia, Italy tomorrow to attend the 50th G7 Summit, which will be held there on June 14, where India has been invited… pic.twitter.com/zJtVBdZiTk
– ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2024
2. G7: What will PM Modi discuss on June 14?
On June 14 – the “key day of the G7 Outreach Summit” – Prime Minister Modi will participate in outreach sessions with other countries invited to the summit.
“This session will focus on Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa and the Mediterranean. This will be a block agenda item where the G7 and outreach countries will share their views and perspectives,” the foreign secretary said. This special session will be held on Friday between 5:30 pm (IST) and 9:00 pm.
The G-7 summit on Friday will begin at 1 pm (Indian time) and go on till 10:30 pm. The long day will be followed by a concert and an informal dinner hosted by the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy.
During the G-7 Summit in Italy, Prime Minister Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings and discussions with G-7 leaders as well as outreach countries and international organisations.
3. G7: Whom will Prime Minister Modi meet?
PM Modi will meet his Italian counterpart Giorgio Meloni, US President Joe Biden, Japanese leaders and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. What issues they may discuss:
A. Giorgia Meloni of Italy: Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the two Prime Ministers are expected to “review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and provide directions for next steps.”
He said the two Prime Ministers are expected to review the strategic partnership and its various elements, and defence is one of the elements of the strategic partnership, “but it is not the only element”.
“There are also other elements of bilateral engagement that will be reviewed by the two Prime Ministers,” he said. The two leaders last met in December 2023 on the sidelines of the COP28 summit. Italy is India’s fourth largest trading partner in the European Union.
B. Joe Biden of America: US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Biden is expected to meet PM Modi in Italy. However, the meeting has not been confirmed yet.
Asked about the country’s position on the US President’s plans to visit Italy and allegations against India in connection with the attempted assassination of a Khalistani leader on US soil, Sullivan said, “…this will be an ongoing topic of discussion between the US and India.”
“It is up to the Indians to formally confirm their presence, but our expectation is that the two of them will have an opportunity to meet each other. The nature of that meeting is still uncertain, as much of the programme is uncertain,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday.
C. Justin Trudeau of Canada: Prime Minister Modi may also meet Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau during the G-7 summit. However, this meeting has not been confirmed yet.
PM Modi with Trudeau may raise India’s concerns about Khalistani forces on Canadian soil. Diplomatic relations between India and Canada soured in 2022 after Trudeau alleged that the alleged killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada had “connections with India”.
“…the main issue with respect to Canada is that Canada provides political space to anti-India elements who advocate extremism and violence. We have repeatedly conveyed our deep concerns to them and we expect them to take strong action,” Foreign Secretary Kwatra said a day ahead of the G-7 summit.
Kwatra further clarified that other agenda items for discussion are “essentially limited to discussions among the G7 countries only”. He said it is quite natural that in bilateral discussions, in Prime Minister Modi’s meetings, “it should be expected that important developments taking place around the world will be discussed”.
“Naturally, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is one of them,” he said.
4. Fumio Kishida of Japan: Prime Minister Modi is expected to meet the Japanese leader at around 11 pm on Friday. In a statement on Wednesday, Kishida said he would “hold bilateral talks with Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Modi.”
Why is G7 important for PM Modi?
This is PM Modi’s first international visit after becoming the Prime Minister of India for the second consecutive time. He also took oath as PM on 9 June. This is PM Modi’s first official visit to another country since then.
After assuming office for the third term, Prime Minister Modi’s participation in the G-7 summit in Italy and bilateral meetings with other world leaders is expected to further strengthen ties with the West.
As Prime Minister Modi takes oath as Prime Minister for the third time, he faces many global challenges. These challenges include the diplomatic dispute with Canada over the Nijjar murder case and the impact of ongoing wars on the availability of food, fuel and fertilizers.
Cross-border terrorism remains a major problem for India. In recent times, there have been three terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in less than four days. Apart from this, China’s alleged expansion in the Indian Ocean region and territorial disputes with India are also a major challenge.
Indian Ambassador to Italy Vani Rao told news agency ANI that Prime Minister Modi, along with other world leaders present at the G7 summit, will play a key role at a global platform to discuss issues important to India as well as the global south.
Meanwhile, Kwatra said India’s regular participation in the G-7 summit reflects the growing recognition of India’s efforts and contribution in solving global challenges, “including peace, security, development and environmental protection.”
Meloni’s support for Ukraine against Russia has led to a warming of relations with Western allies.
But the G-7 summit will be a litmus test for its Atlanticism, especially because “Italy will be expected to help resolve the much-discussed problem of how to leverage the profits generated by seized Russian assets and use them to Kiev’s benefit.” Guardian Atlanticism refers to the belief in or support for a close relationship between Western Europe and the United States, or especially NATO.
Italy assumed the presidency of the G7 for the seventh time on January 1, 2024. The G7 nations are the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK.
