PM Modi heads to Italy for G7 Summit, meeting with Joe Biden expected on the sidelines

Italy has invited India to participate in the 50th G7 summit. PM Modi will depart today, making it his first international trip since assuming office for a third term. US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would likely “have the opportunity to encounter one another” on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy, National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan said.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to leave for Italy on Thursday to participate in the 50th G7 leaders’ summit. He is travelling abroad for the first time since taking office for the third term.

India has been invited by Italy to participate in the G7 Summit as an Outreach Country on June 14. Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, and Prime Minister Modi will have a bilateral meeting at the summit. The leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues and chart the course for future cooperation.

As the current Chair of the G7, Italy is hosting the gathering of the bloc of seven major advanced economies, including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the European Union.

The summit, held at the luxurious Borgo Egnazia resort in Italy’s Apulia region from June 13 to 15, is expected to focus on pressing global challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

PM Modi is likely to meet US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. 

“He (Biden) expects to see Prime Minister Modi here. It’s up to the Indians to formally confirm his attendance, but our expectation is that the two of them will have the opportunity to encounter one another. The nature of that encounter is still fluid because so much of the schedule is fluid,” Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Italy to attend the G7 Summit, along with the US president.

With 10 G7 meetings attended by India, this will be PM Modi's fifth straight year attending one. He will also participate in the outreach event on June 14, which will highlight artificial intelligence (AI), energy, the Mediterranean, and Africa.

"The G7 points to increasing recognition and contribution of the efforts that India has been consistently making including those of peace, security, development and environment preservation," Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said.