G20 Summit in Brazil – Prime Minister Modi meets on the sidelines with Italian Giorgia Meloni, US President Joe Biden and Frenchman Emmanuel Macron

Outgoing US President Joe Biden, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron were among a long list of world leaders that Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.

The Prime Minister also met on Monday with his British, Norwegian, Portuguese and Spanish counterparts Keir Starmer, Jonas Gahr Store, Luis Montenegro and Pedro Sanchez respectively, as well as Indonesian and South Korean Presidents Prabowo Subianto and Yoon Suk-yeol.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in the Brazilian city on Sunday after concluding a two-day trip to Nigeria.

Regarding his interaction with Biden, he said it was “always a pleasure” to meet the US leader. Prime Minister Modi shared a photo from their meeting, while a video also surfaced online, showing the two shaking hands during the summit.

Along with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister Modi discussed ways to strengthen ties in defence, security, trade and technology.

“We also discussed how to strengthen cooperation in culture, education and other areas. India-Italy friendship can greatly contribute to a better planet,” he said. tweeted.

In response, Meloni said it was “always a great pleasure to meet the Indian Prime Minister.”

She said the meeting gave the two leaders an opportunity to “reaffirm our shared commitment to advancing the India-Italy strategic partnership, with the announcement of a Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029 in key sectors such as trade and investment, science and technology. new and emerging technologies, clean energy, space, defense, connectivity.

The foreign ministry said Meloni and Prime Minister Modi “welcomed the India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29 aimed at uplifting and providing impetus” to the two countries' bilateral relations.

With French President Macron, PM Modi discussed ways to continue working in sectors such as space, energy and artificial intelligence and also congratulated him for hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris earlier this year.

Calling the French leader a “friend”, the Prime Minister said India and France would also “work closely to strengthen people-to-people ties”.

Macron shared a video of his meeting with Prime Minister Modi and said: “We reviewed the progress of the initiatives launched during my state visit last January, as well as key international issues.”

The French President visited India in January this year, during which he was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade and also held a roadshow with Prime Minister Modi in Jaipur.

On Monday, another in-depth meeting was held with his British counterpart Keir Starmer, during which Prime Minister Modi expressed his desire to work closely in areas such as technology, green energy, security, innovation and technology.

“For India, Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with UK is of immense priority…We also want to strengthen trade ties as well as cultural ties,” he tweeted.

The Foreign Office said the two leaders also recognized the need for a balanced and mutually beneficial free trade agreement.

Prime Minister Modi also had brief interactions with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath and European Commission Chief, Ursula Von Der Leyen.

Brazil is the second leg of Prime Minister Modi's three-country foreign visit. He is currently on a five-day visit to Nigeria, Brazil and Guyana from November 16 to 21.

This is its third visit to Brazil, following the Brics summits in 2014 and 2019. Last year, India hosted a historic G20 summit in New Delhi, where it achieved a significant diplomatic feat by fostering a consensus among world leaders to address the war between Russia and Ukraine. in the New Delhi Declaration.

After the G20 summit, Prime Minister Modi will visit Guyana from November 19 to 21 at the invitation of President Mohamed Irfaan Ali. The visit will make him the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Guyana in over 50 years.