NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, if re-elected, is likely to embark on his first overseas trip within days of his
swearing-in – to Italy and Switzerland. The Lok Sabha elections results will be out on June 4, and if PM Modi is re-elected, he would take his oath as PM within a week, following which he could embark on these trips.
PM Modi received a personal invitation from his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni over the phone last week to attend the G7 Summit in Italy. PM Modi thanked PM Meloni for the invite and also greeted the people of Italy on their 79th anniversary of Liberation Day. The G7 Summit is likely to be from June 13 to 15.
“Thanked her for the invite to the G7 Summit in June. Discussed taking forward the G20 India outcomes at the G7. Reaffirmed the commitment to deepening our strategic partnership,’’ said PM Modi after speaking to PM Meloni. The G7 Summit will be held in Borgo Egnazia in Apulia.
Meanwhile, PM Modi also received a formal invite to attend the ‘Summit of Peace in Ukraine’ in Burgenstock, Switzerland. The Summit takes place between June 15 and 16.
“The aim of the meeting is for heads of state and government to meet and develop a common understanding of a path of peace towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. This should be the basis for a peace process,” said Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland.
India has always supported the peace formula for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and Prime Minister Modi’s phrase “this is no era for war” and an emphasis on working out a peace process through dialogue and diplomacy has been quoted by many leaders.
Meanwhile, even though there is no official confirmation about PM attending both or either of the events, the chances of his attending them are high. “We announce the confirmation of the PM’s participation closer to the date,” MEA said. Italy, which heads the G7 rotating presidency this year, currently plans to turn off its coal-power plants by 2025, except on island of Sardinia where the deadline is 2028.
At the G7 meeting this weekend Rome wants to persuade its partners -- the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Japan -- to set a common target date for the end of coal, sources said. Rome is ready to bring forward its own deadline if it should be necessary to broker an agreement, the sources added.
The seven G7 countries are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US. Represented jointly by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, the EU participates in all discussions as a guest.