PM Modi in G7 Summit / PM Modi leaves for Italy, expected to have bilateral meeting with Giorgia Meloni

PM Modi in G7 Summit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to Italy to attend the annual summit of the G-7 group. The main focus of this summit will be on dealing with the global geopolitical turmoil. Modi left for Italy on Thursday with a high-level delegation to attend the contact session of the summit to be held on June 14. This is his first foreign visit after taking over as Prime Minister for the third term. The issue of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza is likely to dominate the G-7 summit to be held from June 13 to 15 at the luxurious resort of Borgo Egnazia in the Apulia region of Italy.

India on Wednesday reiterated that the best option to resolve the Ukraine conflict is dialogue and diplomacy. When asked about the Ukraine conflict, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, "We have always believed that dialogue and diplomacy are the best options to resolve it." He also recalled Prime Minister Modi's statement in September 2022 that "today is not the era of war". Quatra spoke about the consequences of the war, including the impact on the availability of food, fuel and fertilizer, challenges to global supply chains, and disruptions to the global economy.

India always at the forefront of dialogue and diplomacy

Vinay said, "We have always been at the forefront of talking not only about the need for conflict, dialogue and diplomacy, but also about how conflict is affecting the priorities and interests of developing countries." He said, "We have always been at the forefront of providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and assistance to the global south affected by conflict, to mitigate the challenges faced by the global south due to conflict." The foreign secretary said India will continue to share its vision with world leaders during the summit and will continue to emphasize the importance of dialogue and diplomacy to deal with the situation.

PM Modi will participate in a contact session on June 14

Quatra said Modi will participate in a contact session with other countries on June 14. The session will focus on issues related to artificial intelligence, energy, Africa and the Mediterranean. The Foreign Secretary said that Prime Minister Modi's participation in the G-7 summit will provide an opportunity to discuss the results of the G-20 summit held under India's chairmanship last year. The Foreign Secretary said that India's regular participation in the G-7 summit reflects the growing recognition of New Delhi's efforts to deal with global challenges.

Bilateral meeting expected with Giorgio Meloni

Kwatra said that Modi is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. He said, "In the meeting, both the Prime Ministers are expected to review the entire aspects of bilateral relations and give guidelines for the next steps." Modi is also likely to hold bilateral meetings with some other leaders. When asked whether the Prime Minister will hold any bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kwatra did not give a direct answer and said that Modi's program is still being finalized.

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi is to travel to Apulia, Italy today to participate in the 50th G7 Summit scheduled to be held in Apulia, Italy from 13-15 June. India has been invited as an Outreach Country.

(Visuals of International Media Centre, Fiera del Levante Exhibition Centre,… pic.twitter.com/gFv7gC4BBn

— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2024