PM Modi joins G7 leaders for outreach session

Hindustan Times

3 hours ago

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney at the outreach session of the G7 leaders' summit in the resort of Kananaskis on Tuesday as New Delhi and Ottawa sought to reset bilateral ties after a prolonged diplomatic spat.
Modi was formally greeted by his host who had invited him to the global event, and they shook hands, exchanged pleasantries and smiled for the cameras, and the two were to carry on their conversations at a bilateral meeting later in the day.
Among his first engagements was a pull-aside meeting with the President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum, also an invitee for the outreach session. He also had a similar meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
A packed day of engagements for the Indian PM, who only arrived in Calgary on Monday evening, also included bilateral meetings with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, their first since the latter assumed the post, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, people familiar with the matter said.
Modi's meeting with Carney at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge was the last on the Indian prime minister's schedule in Calgary before a departure to Croatia.
One potential meeting that did not take place was with US President Donald Trump, who skipped the last day of the summit and returned to Washington on Monday night due developments in the conflict between Israel and Iran that have overshadowed the G7 gathering.
'Will be meeting various leaders at the Summit and sharing my thoughts on important global issues. Will also be emphasising the priorities of the Global South,' the prime minister said on X after his arrival in Calgary on Monday evening
He received a ceremonial welcome at the airport and was received by, among others, India's Acting High Commissioner to Ottawa, Chinmoy Naik.
This was Modi's sixth consecutive participation at the G7 summit since the summit in 2019 held at Biarritz in France. The invitation to the Indian prime minister was seen as a reflection of India's growing economic heft and the perception among G7 member states that New Delhi must be part of efforts to find solutions to economic and security issues.
India-Canada ties rapidly deteriorated after then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged in September 2023 that Indian government agents were involved in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India dismissed the charges as 'absurd' and accused the Trudeau government of giving space to extremist and radical elements.
Over the past two years, the two sides expelled each other's diplomats and downgraded diplomatic ties. However, since late last year, the top leadership of both countries have resumed contact since Carney won the general election.
Earlier, the G7 leaders signed a joint statement calling for de-escalation of fighting between Israel and Iran while reaffirming that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear bomb.
The statement reads: 'We, the leaders of the G7, reiterate our commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East. In this context, we affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel.'
Trump left the meeting in Canada early to deal with the Israel-Iran conflict, but played down the chances of a ceasefire.
On Tuesday morning, he returned to Washington and criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for saying the move was possibly a sign he was working on a truce.