At the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came in Calgary on Monday to take part in the G7 Summit.
Acting Indian High Commissioner Chinmoy Naik, Canadian officials, and representatives of Canada’s First Nation, or the country’s indigenous people, welcomed him upon his arrival.
He and other invited guests will be featured at Tuesday’s session, which will take place in the charming resort town of Kananaskis, where the summit began earlier on Monday under strict security.
Following a visit to Cyprus, where he held “wide-ranging talks, covering the full range of India-Cyprus relations” with President Nikos Christodoulides, Prime Minister Modi landed here.
“The G7 summit will give a great platform to exchange perspectives on various global issues and elaborate on the priorities of the Global South,” PM Modi wrote on X prior to his departure from India.
Alongside host Carney, who is also the G7 President, he will be engaging with G7 leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa.
US President Donald Trump, who was leaving the summit early to return home to address the Iran-Israel conflict, will be missed by Prime Minister Modi.
Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, as well as Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, and Lee Jae-Myung of South Korea, have also been invited to the G7 summit.
Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor, which targeted terrorist organizations operating in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, PM Modi will get the chance to meet in person with these influential leaders of industrialized and developing democracies.
The timing of PM Modi’s visit is crucial for India-Canada relations, which Carney is attempting to mend after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was swayed by proponents of Khalistan, damaged them.
“It’s no secret that Canada-India relations haven’t been at their best over the past few years,” Indian diaspora member Mann Parekh told IANS. However, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation offers a fresh start and a chance to strengthen ties between the two nations.
In an interview with IANS, Kushagr Sharma, president of the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce, stated: “The fact that PM Modi ji is here demonstrates that both parties are interested in cooperating. Both nations’ economic conditions will significantly improve as a result. Trade is already taking place and will continue to expand.
Indo-Canadians are excited about PM Modi’s visit.
With one million Indian citizens and 1.8 million Indo-Canadians, Canada boasts one of the biggest diasporas.
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