JOIN USG7: Modi meets leaders of Indonesia, Germany, South Africa
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo discussed the G20 summits to be held in the South East Asian nation this year and in India next year.
Modi and Widodo, who are special invitees this year, had a bilateral meeting on the sideline of the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in Germany. They discussed the G20 summit to be held at Bali in Indonesia in November this year and the G20 summit that the prime minister would host in India in 2023. They also exchanged views on global and regional issues of mutual interest, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
Modi also had a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sideline of the G7 summit. Both leaders reviewed the progress made in bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly following the signing of the Strategic Programme of Cooperation in 2019. They expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved in defence, education and agriculture sectors, and reiterated the need for further deepening bilateral cooperation in areas like trade and investment, food security, defence, pharmaceuticals, digital financial inclusion, skill development, insurance, health and people to people contacts.
The prime minister and the South African president welcomed the agreement reached at World Trade Organization (WTO) this month supporting production of the Covid-19 vaccines in developing countries. India and South Africa had submitted the first proposal suggesting a waiver for all WTO members on the implementation of certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement in relation to the prevention, containment or treatment of the Covid-19.
The two leaders also discussed continued coordination in multilateral bodies and the need for their reform, particularly the UN Security Council.
The prime minister and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is hosting the G7 summit, emphasised the need to take forward the green and sustainable development partnership between the two nations. The discussions between the two leaders covered issues like climate action, provision of climate financing and technology transfer. The two leaders also agreed on the need to further deepen trade, investment and people to people ties, according to Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the MEA.