Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday will depart for Italy to participate in the 50th G7 Summit. During his visit, Modi is also expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. This will be the prime minister’s first overseas trip after assuming office in his third consecutive term.

“At the invitation of Prime Minister of Italy (Giorgia Meloni), Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be traveling to Apulia, Italy tomorrow to participate in the 50th G7 Summit which is to be held there on 14th June where India has been invited as an Outreach Country,” foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Wednesday.

“…This will be the prime minister’s first overseas travel after assuming office in his third consecutive term. It will also afford him an opportunity to engage with other world leaders present at the G7 Summit on issues of importance to India as also to the Global South,” he added.

Kwatra also said this will be India’s 11th participation in the G7 Summit and the 5th consecutive participation by PM Modi.

He said PM Modi’s participation in the G7 Summit would provide an opportunity to follow up on the outcomes of the G20 Summit held under India’s presidency last year.

“Prime Minister’s participation in the G7 Summit would also provide a timely opportunity to follow up on outcomes of the G20 Summit held under India’s presidency last year and deliberate on issues which are significant for the Global South,” he said.

Modi will participate in the Outreach session along with the other countries invited for the Outreach Summit on June 14.

“At this Session, the focus would be on Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa and the Mediterranean. It will be a block agenda item where the G7 and the Outreach Countries will share their views and perspectives…” the foreign secretary said.

Last year, PM Modi had attended the G7 summit in Hiroshima. He had held talks with Zelenskyy as well as other world leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

The G7 summit
 

The G7 summit will be held in the luxury resort of Borgo Egnazia in Italy’s Apulia region from June 13 to 15. The G7 comprises the US, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan.

US President Joe Biden, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are among the top leaders attending the summit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also scheduled for a session on the Russian invasion of his country.

The summit is likely to be dominated by the raging war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza, reported PTI.