In what will be a first for India in over 10 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached the southwestern city of Biarritz to participate in the ongoing G7 summit on France's invitation. The summit holds significance from India's perspective particularly for the fact that the Kashmir issue is expected to come up during Modi's interaction with the leaders of the member countries, particularly US President Donald Trump. Modi is also expected to speak during sessions on environment, climate, oceans, and digital transformation.
On Sunday, he held his first bilateral meeting with newly-elected British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and later with UN Secretary-General António Guterres before attending the Cultural Program and Leaders' Dinner. The meeting with Johnson lasted for around 30 minutes. Modi had also spoken to Johnson last week where Johnson had backed India's stance that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral one between India and Pakistan.
On Monday, PM Modi will hold around four more bilateral meetings, including a 45-minute sit down with US President Donald Trump in the afternoon at around 3.45 pm. This will be the second meet between the two leaders this year and comes two months after they met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. Before the summit, a senior Trump administration official had said, "India's decision to rescind Article 370 in Kashmir is an internal decision, but certainly with regional implications. President Trump will likely want to hear how Prime Minister Modi intends to calm regional tensions in light of this significant move."
SEVERAL BILATERALS ON AGENDA
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- On Sunday, he held his first bilateral meeting with newly-elected British Prime Minister Boris Johnson; it lasted for around 30 mins
- On Monday, he will hold four more bilateral meetings, including a 45-minute sit down with US President Donald Trump
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Trade, defence ties and the Afghan peace process will also be discussed. The official had added, "They will look for solutions on the trade front.The US is looking to India to reduce tariffs and open its markets."
Meanwhile, during an "excellent round" of discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron, Modi had conveyed that New Delhi stands with Paris on all agendas that the European country is pursuing in the summit.
With inputs from agencies
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