Modi at G7 Summit: India emerging key partner for global challenges -

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By Manish Anand

New Delhi, June 25: After smartly navigating the tricky virtual BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is flying to Schloss Elmau, Germany to take part in the G7 meeting during June 26-27. Modi is returning to Germany after his meeting with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in May this year.

The G7 is a group of the most industrialized countries of the world which includes Germany, US, Italy, UK, Japan, France and Canada. Modi has regularly been attending the G7 Summits since 2018.

There’s a growing anticipation that the G7 Summit will look for ways to further tighten the sanction regime against Russia for invading Ukraine, as it becomes evident that Moscow is unfazed with the restrictive economic measures imposed by the western countries.

Incidentally, China has extended deep cushion to Russia to insulate against crippling US-led sanctions. The statistics endorses Chinese comfort for Russia, since their bilateral trade has gone up by 20 per cent in the first five months of this year. Indeed, the trade growth is largely accounted for manifold increase in the import of the Russian oil by Beijing.

Indo-Russia trade has also reportedly gone up by 10 per cent in the first five months of this year, which again is accounted for by the jump in the oil imports from Moscow due to deep discounts offered by the Russian companies.

In May, Modi had gone to Germany as part his three-nation European tour during which he had also gone to Denmark and France. He had held extensive deliberations with the heads of the states of the Nordic countries after his bilateral meeting in Denmark, which was attended by Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.

Modi will be back in the same region within one month amid signs of India being looked upon the western world with hopes to play the role of solution providers to some of the grim challenges, which include the climate change.

In fact, Modi’s deliberations with the Nordic countries, known to be the power houses of the clean energy technologies, had focused on partnership to address issues concerning climate change.

“I will be visiting Schloss Elmau, Germany at the invitation of Chancellor of Germany, H.E. Mr. Olaf Scholz, for the G7 Summit under the German Presidency. It will be a pleasure to meet Chancellor Scholz again after the productive India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) last month,” said Modi in a pre-departure statement on Saturday.

Germany has also invited other democracies such as Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa to the G7 Summit.

“During the sessions of the Summit, I will be exchanging views with the G7 counties, G7 partner countries and guest international organisations on topical issues such as environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy,” added Modi.

He would also be meeting leaders of some of the participating G7 and guest countries on the sidelines of the Summit.

The G7 countries represent 45 per cent of the world’s GDP, while accounting for only 10 per cent of the global population.

In the run up the Summit, the ministers of the G7 countries rejected the ‘False narrative’ against the sanctions against Russia, while also deliberating on the deepening food crisis. Russia and Ukraine are known to be the wheat and barley bowls of the world.

In line with his trademark itinerary, Modi will be meeting members of the Indian Diaspora from across Europe in Munich.

On his way back to India, Modi will make a brief stopover in Abu Dhabi, UAE for a meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Nahyan is President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Modi will convey condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu had also previously gone to offer the condolences on behalf of India.

Modi will be with the heads of the western countries within days of the BRICS Summit, which was hosted by China in the virtual mode.

While the Russian and the Chinese Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping respectively launched tirades against the US and the western countries, India cautiously stayed from their traps and influenced the declaration to stress on the peaceful ways and dialogue to resolve conflicts and differences in reference to the Russia-Ukraine war.