Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the G7 Outreach Summit at Apulia, Italy, today. Mr Modi reached Apulia last night on a two-day visit to Italy at the invitation of its Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. India has been invited as an outreach country. On the sidelines of the summit, the Prime Minister is also expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings and discussions with world leaders. Mr. Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This is Prime Minister Modi’s first overseas visit after assuming office for the third consecutive term.
In his departure statement, the Prime Minister said that the government is committed to consolidating the India-Italy strategic partnership and bolstering cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean regions. Mr. Modi said he is glad that his first visit in the third consecutive term is to Italy for the G-7 Summit.
The Prime Minister said, during the discussions at the Outreach session, that the focus would be on artificial intelligence, energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean. He said it will be an opportunity to bring greater synergy between the outcomes of the G20 Summit held under India’s presidency and the forthcoming G7 Summit and deliberate on issues that are crucial for the Global South. The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
