PM Modi in Japan for G-20 Summit, will meet Donald Trump among other leaders

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday arrived in Japan for the G-20 Summit during which he will meet US President Donald Trump, France’s Macron and Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe for the first time after his re-election.

This year, the G-20 Summit is being held at Osaka on June 28 and June 29. It is PM Modi’s sixth time of the Summit.

The Prime Minister’s Office tweeted: “Early morning arrival in Osaka. The #G20 Summit, bilateral and multilateral interactions await PM @narendramodi in the coming two days. He will elaborate on many issues of global importance and present India’s viewpoint.”

“PM @narendramodi arrives at Kansai International airport in #Osaka to attend the #G20summit. Over the next 3 days, PM has a range of bilateral and plurilateral engagements to articulate India’s views on the global platform,” ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also posted on Twitter.

Before leaving for the Summit, the PM said issues such as women empowerment, artificial intelligence and common efforts to address challenges like terrorism will be high on his agenda.

“The summit will provide an important opportunity to reiterate and reinforce our strong support to reformed multilateralism, which is crucial for preserving rule-based international order in today’s fast-changing world,” Modi said.

He said the G-20 Summit will also be an important stepping stone for India towards hosting the G20 summit in 2022 “when we usher in a New India in the 75th anniversary year of our Independence”.

Modi will hold some 10 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, including one with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

PM Modi and Donald Trump had agreed on the bilateral meeting when the United States President called the Indian leader last month to congratulate him on his re-election.

No agenda has been announced for the Modi-Trump meeting but the two leaders can be expected to discuss trade, which has emerged as the key irritant between the two sides.

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US form the G-20.