PM Modi begins Cyprus, Canada, Croatia tour today, 1st foreign visit after Op Sindoor
Before arriving in Canada on Monday for the G7 Summit, PM Narendra Modi will visit Cyprus, the first by an Indian PM in over two decades, and will also travel to Croatia, marking the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister.
PM Modi will pay an official visit to Cyprus, Canada and Croatia from June 15-19, the MEA said Saturday. PM Modi will visit Cyprus on June 15-16, on his way to Canada to participate in the G7 Summit in Kananaskis on June 16-17, and conclude the five-day visit with an official visit to Croatia on June 18. This will be PM Modi's first foreign tour after Operation Sindoor.
'At the invitation of the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, PM Modi will pay an official visit to Cyprus June 15-16. This will be the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Cyprus in over two decades,' the MEA said. In Nicosia, Modi will hold talks with Christodoulides and address business leaders in Limassol.
The visit will reaffirm the shared commitment of the two countries to deepen bilateral ties and strengthen India's engagement with the Mediterranean region and the European Union, as per the MEA. Cyprus had condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and indicated that it would raise the issue of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan at the EU-level discussions. The visit will be timely as Cyprus is set to take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2026.
In the second leg of his visit, PM Modi will travel to Kananaskis to participate in the G7 Summit, his sixth time in a row. On June 6, PM Modi received a call from Canadian PM Carney inviting him for the summit.
At the summit, PM Modi will exchange views with G7 heads of states, other invited outreach countries and heads of international organisations on global issues, 'including energy security, technology and innovation, particularly the AI-energy nexus and Quantum-related issues', the MEA said. The Modi-Carney meeting on the sidelines summit next week will be an opportunity to explore ways to reset ties, the MEA said on Thursday.
The development comes after more than a year-and-a-half of strained diplomatic ties between the two countries, triggered by former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's allegations about the 'potential' involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023. India rejected the charges as 'absurd' and 'motivated', and consequently, both nations expelled high commissioners and other senior diplomats.
PM Modi will also hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines, officials say, even as modalities are being worked out. The G7 Leaders' Summit will be held from June 15-17.
In the final leg of his tour, PM Modi will undertake an official visit to Croatia and hold bilateral discussions with his Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenković and meet the President of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic. The visit to Croatia will also underscore India's commitment to further strengthen its engagement with partners in the EU.
In the wake of Operation Sindoor, the PM had cancelled his nation-nation tour to Europe, which included Croatia, Norway and the Netherlands.
EdoT
Israel-Iran conflict may be in focus
Though the G7 Summit agenda this year was focussed on building supply chains for critical minerals, energy security, and countering foreign interference and transnational crime, the focus is likely to be on the Israel-Iran conflict and containing any escalation. PM Narendra Modi is likely to hold discussions with various stakeholders on the issue and express India's stance on dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward.
Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
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