Italy G7 Summit 2024: PM Modi Holds Diplomatic Talks With Macron, Sunak, & Zelenskyy On The Sidelines Of G7

French President Emmanuel Macron and British counterpart Rishi Sunak were met by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where discussions were believed to have been held on ways to boost bilateral ties and exchange views on global issues and common interests, on Friday.

On the sidelines of the G7 summit in Bari, the southern resort town of Italy, the two leaders were met by PM Modi.

After the meeting, taking to X, Formerly known as Twitter, PM Modi wrote, "It was a delight to meet PM @RishiSunak in Italy. I reiterated my commitment to further strengthen the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the third term of the NDA Government. There is great scope to deepen ties in sectors like semiconductors, technology and trade. We also talked about further cementing ties in the defence sector."

A bilateral meeting was held by PM Modi with French President Macron, marking the fourth meeting between the two leaders in a year.

"Had an excellent meeting with my friend President @EmmanuelMacron. This is our fourth meeting in one year, indicating the priority we accord to strong India-French ties," PM Modi wrote.

"Our talks covered numerous subjects such as defence, security, technology, AI, Blue Economy and more. We also discussed how to encourage innovation and research among the youth. I conveyed my best wishes to him on the hosting of the Paris Olympics, which begins next month," he added.

Notably, it is Prime Minister Modi's first foreign trip after assuming office for a third time this month. Macron and PM Modi met in January when the French President visited India to attend the 75th Republic Day of India. Sunak had met him in person at the G20 Summit in New Delhi last September, when the decision was made to accelerate FTA talks, and it was hoped that the agreement would be signed off before India's general election.

However, it is now expected that trade negotiations will only resume after a new UK government is elected on 4 July. The India-UK FTA negotiations, which opened in January 2022, aim to significantly enhance bilateral trade, currently valued at around 38.1 billion pounds annually according to official statistics from earlier this year.

During their last meeting, PM Modi and President Macron had reaffirmed their shared vision for bilateral cooperation and international partnership, as outlined in Horizon 2047 and other documents from the July 2023 Summit. The Horizon 2047 Roadmap sets an ambitious and broad-ranging course for the bilateral relationship up to 2047, the centenary year of India's independence.

After concluding his meetings with Macron and Sunak, PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It is understood that Zelenskyy was briefed by Modi on various aspects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. PM Modi had met Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May last year as well. India has maintained that the conflict in Ukraine should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.