New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first overseas trip in his third term will be to attend the G7 Summit in Italy this week, where the Russia-Ukraine war is likely to dominate talks.
Modi will also hold a high-level bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed Wednesday.
The ministry, however, was mum on whether the Prime Minister would attend the Ukraine peace summit — slated to take place in Switzerland a day after the G7 Summit — but added that India would be represented at an “appropriate level”. Russia has not been invited to the event, and has appreciated the decision by allies like China to boycott it.
Diplomatic sources said Pavan Kapoor, former ambassador to Russia who took over as Secretary (West) this February, will likely be part of the Indian delegation to Switzerland.
The invitation sent from the Swiss government calls for either a head of state, government or minister-level participation, and the “decision is yet to be taken”, sources added.
The 50th G7 summit will be held from 13-15 June in Apulia, Italy.
At a press briefing, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said: “The visit assumes significance as this will be the Prime Minister’s first overseas travel after resuming 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 and the Global South.”
India, though not a member of the G7, has been invited as an outreach country. Other such countries include Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the UAE.
About the Ukraine peace summit, the foreign secretary said: “India will be participating at the peace summit to be held in Switzerland at an appropriate level. That consideration is currently going on.”
India has tried to strike a balancing act since the war in Ukraine broke out, by repeatedly urging dialogue and diplomacy. However, it has imported large amounts of Russian crude at discount prices while also managing to garner consensus for a G20 joint declaration last year, at a time when tensions between Moscow and the West were very high.
Talks on AI, energy, Africa
At the G7 outreach session on 14 June, the focus of discussions would be on AI, energy, Africa and the Mediterranean.
“India’s regular participation at the G7 summit clearly points to increasing recognition and contribution of the efforts that India has been consistently making in trying to resolve global challenges including those of peace, security, development and environment conservation,” Kwatra told reporters.
He added that Modi would hold a slew of bilateral meetings on the sidelines in Apulia, but did not confirm whether the Indian Prime Minister would talk with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose government is investigating the potential role of Indian agents in the murder of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.
Kwatra did not rule out the possibility that the Russia-Ukraine war, which has continued unabated since February 2022, would be a topic of discussion between Modi and the Italian Prime Minister during their bilateral meeting.
Italy is also a partner to India in global initiatives such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) which was launched during the G20 Summit last September.
(With inputs from Keshav Padmanabhan)
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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