G7 Summit: PM Modi gets centre stage in Italy, talks with Joe Biden
Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his first foreign trip during his third term in office on Friday, as he left for home after attending the G7 Summit in Italy.
Barely days after taking oath as the Prime Minister of India, Modi held talks with several world leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron. The highlight of his diplomatic engagements in the European country, however, was his meeting with US President Joe Biden.
“Had a very productive day at the G7 Summit in Apulia. Interacted with world leaders and discussed various subjects. Together, we aim to create impactful solutions that benefit the global community and create a better world for future generations. I thank the people and government of Italy for their warm hospitality,” PM Modi wrote on X on Saturday morning.
Amid India’s tension with Canada over the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year, PM Modi briefly met with Justin Trudeau.
Modi also had a separate interaction with Joe Biden. The Modi-Biden conversation came nearly seven months after Washington’s allegations of an Indian link to a foiled plot to murder Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
After his meeting with Biden, PM Modi wrote on X that India and the United States will keep working together to further global good.
He also acknowledged his meeting with Trudeau. “Met Canadian PM @JustinTrudeau at the G7 Summit,” he wrote on the social media website.
In September last year, Indo-Canadian ties came under severe strain after Trudeau alleged “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar in British Columbia.
New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s charges, calling them “absurd” and “motivated.”
India has accused Canada of fostering pro-Khalistan and criminal elements to meet political ends.
Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra on Wednesday said India’s main issue with Canada continues to be the political space that Ottawa provides to anti-India elements.
Trudeau’s office claimed on Friday the two leaders had an interaction on the sidelines of the summit. The former “congratulated Prime Minister Modi on his reelection and the leaders had a brief discussion on the bilateral relationship,” a spokesperson, Ann-Clara Vaillancourt, was quoted as saying by news agency Bloomberg.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi addressed the event, stressing the importance of ending monopoly in technology with a particular emphasis on artificial intelligence.
On the sidelines of the event, PM also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The invitation to PM Modi to the G-7 summit indicates India’s growing prominence in the West’s plans to counter rapidly growing China.
Apart from India, the hosts had invited leaders of 11 developing countries, including those located in the Indo-Pacific region.