PM Modi to address G7 outreach session today | India News
NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi landed in Calgary on Monday evening (local time) to participate in the G7 Summit that is taking place at the nearby Kananaskis village in Alberta. During his 23-hour stay in Canada, Prime Minister Modi will address the G7 Outreach Session on Tuesday and have bilateral meetings, including with host Canadian PM Mark Carney, before departing for Croatia on Tuesday evening. This will be Modi’s first visit to Canada since 2015. Official sources said his programme is still being worked on to ensure as many bilateral engagements as possible. There was no clarity till late on Monday if a formal bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump was going to take place. A meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also not ruled out.This will be India’s 12th participation, and Modi’s 6th, in Outreach Sessions of G7 Summits. India has been regularly getting invitations for the G7 since 2019, in a sign of the importance the group of most economically advanced countries attaches to India. Indian govt sources highlighted the fact that India’s economy is now larger than at least three G7 member countries – France, Italy, and Canada.“India in 2023 concluded its G20 presidency and is a strong voice of the Global South. India has always brought the issues of the Global South to the fore during its interventions made at the previous G7 summits,” said an official.In the last G7 Summit at Apulia in 2024, PM Modi joined other invited countries in the G7 to discuss critical topics such as AI, energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean. “This session was a crucial platform where the G7 and Outreach Countries shared their views and perspectives, furthering the collective effort to address global challenges,” said an official.According to Indian authorities, from its initial focus on economic issues, the G7 has gradually become a forum for consultation to find common ground on major global challenges, including peace and security, counter-terrorism, development, education, health, environment and climate change. Modi has in the past raised the issue of terrorism and is again expected to do so, as India looks to galvanise support for its campaign to isolate Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack.
