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Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Italy on Thursday night to attend the 50th G7 Summit, which will be held from June 13 to 15. This is Modi's first visit to a foreign country after recently assuming office as the PM for the third consecutive term following the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA's victory in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
Modi is participating in the G7 outreach session in Italy's Apulia region at the invitation of his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni. The summit is being held at the resort of Fasano and is dominated by the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas war talks. In addition to India, the leaders of Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia, and Turkey have been invited to the outreach session.
On Friday, Modi will participate in a summit session titled ‘Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa-Mediterranean’ - which will be hosted by Italian PM Meloni. This session will also be joined by Pope Francis.
Modi said he would use the G7 Summit as an opportunity to create synergy between the outcomes of the G20 Summit held under India’s Presidency and deliberate on issues crucial for the Global South.
Modi will also hold bilateral talks on various issues with world leaders, including Meloni. He is also expected to hold bilateral interactions with US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Modi will also address the outreach session of the G7 Summit.
Meanwhile, Modi will not participate in the Ukraine Peace Summit, which will be hosted by Switzerland at Burgenstock from June 15 to 16. According to foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra, India will be represented at this meeting “at an appropriate level,” though New Delhi has yet to decide who will attend.
Source: G7 Summit 2024: PM Narendra Modi arrives in Italy. What's on agenda?