Prime Minister Modi is heading to Italy today for the G7 summit, his first foreign visit after taking office for a third term | News from India

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Italy Thursday to attend a Group of Seven (G7) summit, marking his first trip abroad after taking office for the third consecutive term.
Scheduled to be held between June 13 and 14 in the Puglia region, India has been invited as an outreach country to the summit, which will be attended by all seven member countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada , Germany, Italy, Japan and France, as well as the European Union.
Indian Ambassador to Italy VRao said that PM Modi will play an important role in one of the global platforms, to engage with other world leaders present at the G7 Summit on issues important to India as well as the countries of the South.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had invited Prime Minister Modi to attend the G7 summit. This will be India's 11th participation in the G7 Summit and Prime Minister Modi's fifth consecutive participation in the G7 Summit. On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Modi is expected to hold meetings and bilateral discussions with leaders of the G7 and outreach countries as well as international organizations.
Secretary of Foreign Affairs Kwatra said Prime Minister Modi should also hold a bilateral meeting with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and the two leaders should review the entire gamut of bilateral relations.
Addressing a special press conference, Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra said the visit was of particular significance as it would be the Prime Minister's first overseas trip after taking office to his third consecutive term. “This will also give him an opportunity to engage with other world leaders present at the G7 summit on issues important to India, as well as the Global South. This will be India's 11th participation in the G7 summit. G7 and Prime Minister Modi's fifth consecutive participation in this summit, the G7 summit,” he said.
Kwatra said the G7 Summit awareness session will focus on artificial intelligence, energy, Africa and the Mediterranean. He noted that India's participation in the G7 Summit demonstrates growing recognition and contribution to India's efforts in trying to resolve global challenges.
“It will be an agenda item for the bloc where the G7 and outreach countries will share their views and perspectives. India's regular participation in the G7 summit clearly indicates a growing recognition and contribution of efforts that India has consistently made in trying to resolve global challenges, including those of peace, security, development and environmental preservation.
“India's participation in this G7 summit assumes particular significance in the context of its recent, but not so recent, presidency of the G20, during which India played a leading role in building 'a global consensus on a number of controversial issues As you are also aware, India has so far hosted two sessions of the Voice of the South Summit, which aimed to bring forward the interests, priorities and concerns of the South. on the world stage also, we have always brought the issues of the South to the forefront,” he added.
On January 1, Italy assumed the presidency of the G7 for the seventh time. The G7 countries include the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.
The leaders of the seven member states, as well as the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission representing the European Union will attend the G7 summit. Several states, including India, Turkey and international organizations like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), were also invited by Italy to the awareness session of the G7 summit.
During the special briefing, Kwatra said Italy was also India's partner in several global initiatives launched by India, including the International Solar Alliance, Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Coalition, Ocean Initiative Indo-Pacific, the Global Biofuels Alliance and India-Middle East-Europe. Economic Corridor (IMEEC).
On June 12, Indian Ambassador to Italy Vani Rao said that Prime Minister Modi would play an important role in one of the global platforms, to engage with other world leaders present at the G7 summit on important issues for India, as well as the Global South.
Italy, which invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit outreach sessions, is India's fourth largest trading partner in the European Union, with bilateral trade currently standing at 15 billion of dollars. The two countries enjoy close and friendly relations and last year celebrated 75 years of establishing diplomatic relations.
Prime Minister Modi visited Italy for the G20 Summit in October 2021 and the Italian Prime Minister visited India on a state visit in March 2023 and was the chief guest at the Raisina Dialogue . She also visited India for the G20 summit held under Indian presidency in September last year.
Bilateral relations between India and Italy were elevated to the level of 'strategic partnership' with a focus on defence, science and technology, Indo-Pacific and energy during his visit.
Since the Italian Prime Minister's state visit to India, several high-level engagements have taken place between the two sides.
Several Italian ministers visited India in 2023 for G20-related meetings and held bilateral meetings on the sidelines, including the Italian Foreign Minister and the Ministers of Commerce, Finance, Agriculture, Education and Culture. The President of the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies attended the P20 meeting last year.
Minister of Foreign Affairs S JaishankarUnion Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Italy in November, October and April respectively last year.
This is the first time that Prime Minister Modi is visiting a European country in his first foreign visit after assuming office.
After first assuming office in 2014, Prime Minister Modi made his first foreign trip to Bhutan and reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.
During his visit on June 15-16, 2014, Prime Minister Modi met Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema. He also met his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay.
For his visit, Prime Minister Modi was accompanied by then Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh.
His first foreign visit took place days after he was sworn in as Prime Minister in New Delhi on May 26, 2014. During his visit, he addressed the joint sitting of Parliament and inaugurated the new Supreme Court building which was constructed with the assistance of the Government of India. assistance.
After taking oath for the second time in 2019, Prime Minister Modi made his first foreign visit to the Maldives. At the invitation of the then President of the Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Prime Minister Modi visited Male for a two-day state visit to the Maldives on June 8 and 9, 2019.
After a welcome ceremony in Male, Solih and Prime Minister Modi held one-on-one talks followed by delegation-level talks, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) statement.
The two leaders reiterated their strong commitment to further strengthen the “strong and friendly relations” between India and the Maldives, nourished by geographical contiguity, and ethnic, historical, socio-economic and cultural ties between the people of the two countries , according to the MEA. release.
He also delivered the speech to the Maldivian parliament. Prime Minister Modi spoke about India's 'Neighborhood First' policy and called the Maldives a priority for India in the neighborhood. He had also announced that India would contribute to the conservation of the Friday Mosque in the Maldives.