PM Modi to attend outreach sessions of G7 summit today

New Delhi, Jun 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate virtually in the outreach sessions of the G7 summit on Saturday.

This is the second time Modi will participate in a G7 meeting. India was invited by France in its capacity as G7 presidency to the Biarritz summit in 2019 as a 'Goodwill Partner' and he participated in the sessions on 'Climate, Biodiversity and Oceans' and 'Digital Transformation'.

Last month, the MEA said Modi will not travel to the UK to attend the summit of the G7 grouping in view of the prevailing coronavirus situation in the country.

The Group of Seven (G7) comprises the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US.

As chair of G7, the UK has invited India, Australia, South Korea, South Africa to the summit as Guest countries.

"At the invitation of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the outreach sessions of the G7 summit on June 12 and 13 in virtual format," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

He said the theme for the summit is 'Build Back Better' and the UK has outlined four priority areas for its presidency of the powerful grouping.

"These are leading the global recovery from coronavirus while strengthening resilience against future pandemics; promoting future prosperity by championing free and fair trade; tackling climate change and preserving the planet's biodiversity; and championing shared values and open societies," Bagchi said.

He said the leaders are expected to exchange views on the way forward on global recovery from the pandemic with a focus on health and climate change.

Last month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to London to participate in the G7 foreign ministers' meeting. However, he could not attend the meeting in person after two members of his delegation tested positive for COVID-19.

The external affairs minister attended the meeting in virtual format.