PM Modi attends Outreach Session at G7 Summit, meets Pope Francis

APULIA (Italy): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the Outreach Session of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Italy on Friday.

PM Modi met Pope Francis upon reaching the Summit after he was welcomed by Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni as India participated as an ‘Outreach Nation’ in the G7 Summit.

Visuals from the session showed PM Modi sharing a hug with Pope Francis. PM Modi was seated next to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom and the two were seen having a discussion. He will also address the ‘Outreach Session’ of the G7 Summit.

PM Modi arrived in Italy’s Apulia on Thursday late night to attend the G7 Outreach Summit. On the sidelines of the G7 Summit, PM Modi met President Emmanuel Macron of France, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.

The summit is taking place at the luxurious Borgo Egnazia resort in Italy’s Apulia region from June 13-15. PM Modi is attending the summit at the invitation of Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. This marks PM Modi’s first trip abroad after assuming office for the third consecutive term.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal detailed the Prime Minister’s engagements with the world leaders on June 14. Giving an overview of PM Modi’s visit to Italy, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that it is packed day for him. “We have several bilateral meetings with the world leaders lined up”, Jaiswal said in the video, adding, “He will also be addressing the outreach session of the G7 Summit”.

The Prime Minister said, during the discussions at the Outreach session, that the focus would be on artificial intelligence, energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean. He said it will be an opportunity to bring greater synergy between the outcomes of the G20 Summit held under India’s presidency and the forthcoming G7 Summit and deliberate on issues that are crucial for the Global South. The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The G7 summit is taking place at the luxurious Borgo Egnazia resort in Italy’s Apulia region from June 13-15. PM Modi is attending the summit at the invitation of Italian PM Meloni. It will be India’s 11th participation and PM Modi’s fifth consecutive participation at the G7 Summit. (ANI)