G7 Summit 2024: PM Narendra Modi arrives in Italy. What’s on agenda?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Italy late Thursday night (local time) to attend the 50th G7 Summit, which is being 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.

What’s on PM Modi’s agenda?

Modi, on Friday, will engage in an action-packed day in Italy during the G7 outreach session. He 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 issuescrucial 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. While there is a possibility of Modi sharing courtesies with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, there is no bilateral meeting planned with him. There is speculation that Modi will interact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but there are no confirmations yet.

Modi will also address the outreach session of the G7 Summit.

“I look forward to meeting fellow world leaders and discussing a wide range of issues aimed at making our planet better and improving lives of people,” Modi said in a departure statement on Thursday evening, adding that he was “glad” his foreign visit in his third term as PM was to Italy for the Summit.

“I warmly recall my visit to Italy for the G20 Summit in 2021. Prime Minister Meloni’s two visits to India last year were instrumental in infusing momentum and depth in our bilateral agenda. We remain committed to consolidate the India-Italy strategic partnership, and bolster cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean regions,” he added.

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.