PM Modi to attend G7 Summit in United Kingdom as guest
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Jan 18, 2021
The United Kingdom has extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 summit to be held in the country's Cornwall region in June, 2021.
Johnson, who had extended an invitation to Modi during a phone call a year ago, also reiterated his plan to visit India ahead of the G7 summit. The G7 - made up of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.S. and the European Union - is the forum where the world's most advanced economies are brought together for close-knit discussions.
Modi had attended the G-7 summit in Biarritz in France in August 2019 and was also invited for the 2020 summit hosted by the U.S. - which could not take place due to the pandemic.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had cancelled his India visit for this year's Republic Day event due to the detection of mutant virus strain in his country, is likely to visit the country "ahead of the G7", a press statement read.
The Group of Seven or G7 - which is made up of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States - is dubbed as an open forum where the world's most influential and open societies are brought together for close-knit discussions, with the pandemic likely to dominate this year's talks.
Australia, India and South Korea will be invited as guest countries to the meeting that normally includes the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the European Union, the United Kingdom said.
Addressing the member countries of G7, Mr. Johnson described the COVID-19 pandemic as the "most destructive" force that the world has seen in several generations.
The UK PM is also quoted as saying that the G7 has always been the catalyst for decisive global action "to tackle the greatest challenges we face". The three countries have been invited as guests to 'deepen the expertise and experience around the table'.
Johnson's ambition has been laid out as wanting to use the G7 to intensify cooperation between the world's democratic and technologically advanced nations.
The meeting is going to bring together leaders of seven industrialized nations face to face for the first time in about two years.
The invitation came days after Mr. Johnson had to cancel his visit to India in the last week of January because of a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Britain.
Britain also takes over the presidency of the UN Security Council in February, and Johnson has signalled he is seeking to boost the UK's global presence as it embarks on a new path post-Brexit.
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