PM Modi leaves for Italy to attend G7 outreach session; says AI, energy and Africa to be in focus

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi left New Delhi for Brindisi in southern Italy on Thursday to attend the outreach sessions the G7 would hold on the sideline of its 50^th summit.

This is his first foreign visit after taking over as the prime minister for the third straight term.

He may have bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sideline of the summit. He may also have bilateral meetings with President Joe Biden of the United States and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.

“I am glad that my first visit in the third consecutive term is to Italy for the G-7 summit. I warmly recall my visit to Italy for the G20 summit in 2021,” Modi said in a statement before leaving New Delhi.

 He will also have a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the host of the G7 summit and the associated outreach events.

 Modi noted that Meloni's two visits to New Delhi last year were instrumental in infusing momentum and depth into the bilateral agenda of India and Italy. “We remain committed to consolidating the India-Italy strategic partnership and bolstering cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean regions,” the prime minister stated about New Delhi’s growing ties with Rome.

India is not a member of the G7 but the leaders of India have been attending the outreach sessions during the summits of the bloc.

 The G7 outreach sessions this year will focus on artificial intelligence, energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean. 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, said the prime minister.

 Modi is likely to call for a global framework for the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence while addressing the G7 leaders at Apulia in Italy on Friday.

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