New Delhi: Hours before his departure to Germany on a two-day visit to attend the G7 Summit as a Special invitee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday evening said that during the sessions of the Summit he will "be exchanging views with the G7 countries, G7 partner countries and guest international organisations on topical issues such as environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy." The PM is visiting Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 26 and 27 for the summit of the G7, a grouping of the world's seven richest nations.
Mr Modi is attending the G7 Summit following an invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The summit is being hosted by Germany in its capacity as the G7 chair.
According to official sources, the PM will hold meetings with over 12 world leaders during his visit to Germany and the United Arab Emirates and will have over 15 hectic engagements during his around 60-hour stay in the two nations. He will be speaking at the Summit on Monday and is expected to hold bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden on both Sunday and Monday.
In a statement ahead of his visit, Mr Modi said that he looked forward to meeting leaders of some of the participating G7 and guest countries on the sidelines of the summit.
"It will be a pleasure to meet Chancellor Scholz again after the productive India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) last month. In an effort to strengthen international collaboration on important global issues impacting humanity, Germany has also invited other democracies such as Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa to the G7 Summit," Mr Modi said.
He added, "During the sessions of the Summit, I will be exchanging views with the G7 countries, G7 partner countries and guest international organisations on topical issues such as the environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy. I look forward to meeting the leaders of some of the participating G7 and guest countries on the sidelines of the Summit. While in Germany, I also look forward to meeting members of the Indian Diaspora from across Europe, who are contributing immensely to their local economies and also enriching our relations with European countries."
From Germany, Mr Modi will travel to the United Arab Emirates on June 28 to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and ruler of Abu Dhabi.
He said, "On my way back to India, I will make a brief stopover in Abu Dhabi, UAE for a meeting with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, on June 28 to convey my personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi."
The meeting is expected to further strengthen India-UAE strategic ties, especially in the fields of trade and investment.
