Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived in Hiroshima, Japan to attend the G7 group’s annual summit and the much-awaited third in-person meeting of the Quad leaders. The Prime Minister is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings with Japan, Vietnam, France and Ukraine and is set to unveil a Gandhi statue.
Starting the first leg of his three-nation tour, which includes Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia, PM Modi is scheduled to participate in over 40 events, according to officials.
Here are the details of PM Modi’s engagements on Saturday, May 20 (IST time):
| Time | PM Narendra Modi’s program in Japan on Saturday |
| Four o’clock in the morning | Bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Japan Kishida Fumio |
| 5:00 am | Unveiling of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi |
| 5:30 in the morning | Bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh |
| 11:00 AM | Arrival at the G7 summit venue |
| 11:30 AM | work session 6 |
| 1:40 pm | Bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron |
| 2:20 pm | Bilateral meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky |
| 2:55 pm | work session 7 |
| 4:35 pm | quad summit |
PM to lay emphasis on ‘Voice of Global South’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed his commitment to represent the interests of the Global South at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, Japan. In an interview with Nikkei Asia, PM Modi highlighted his keenness to engage in discussions on global changes and challenges, especially in the areas of energy, digital technology and supply chain.
PM Modi said, “I would stress on India’s role as a reliable partner in dealing with these challenges.” He further emphasized that India’s experience will resonate strongly during the summit.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted the growing convergence of political, strategic, security and economic interests during the interview. “We now see an increasing convergence of our political, strategic, security and economic interests,” he said.
PM Modi’s talks with the President of Ukraine
The prime minister is set to hold bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 summit, the first such meeting between the two leaders since the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Asked about India’s possible role as a mediator, PM Modi reiterated India’s clear and unwavering position on the Ukraine conflict. “India stands on the side of peace, and will stand firmly so. We are committed to supporting those who face challenges in meeting their basic needs, particularly due to rising prices of food, fuel and fertilisers. We maintain communication with both Russia and Ukraine,” he confirmed.
Modi has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Zelensky several times since the conflict began.
During a phone conversation with Zelensky on October 4 last year, PM Modi stressed on ‘no military solution’ and expressed India’s readiness to “contribute to any peace efforts”.
In a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16 last year, PM Modi underlined the contemporary era’s focus on peace. He urged the Russian leader to end the conflict, saying, “Today is not the age of war.”
g7 summit
Emphasizing the importance of cooperation and collaboration over conflict, PM Modi expressed his anticipation for an exchange of views with the G7 countries and other invited participants at the Hiroshima summit. He also mentioned his plan to hold bilateral meetings with select leaders attending the summit.
“I look forward to exchanging views with the G7 countries and other invited partners on the challenges facing the world and the need to address them collectively. I look forward to joining some of the leaders attending the Hiroshima G7 Summit. Will have bilateral meetings as well,” PM Modi said in his departure statement.
Later in a tweet, he said, “Coming to Hiroshima to attend the proceedings of the G7 Summit. Will also hold bilateral meetings with various world leaders.
Arrived in Hiroshima to attend the proceedings of the G7 summit. Will also hold bilateral meetings with various world leaders. pic.twitter.com/zQtSZUpd45Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 19, 2023
The Group of Seven (G7) consists of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, and Japan. As the current chair of the G7, Japan extended an invitation to India and seven other countries to participate in the summit.
Notably, all G7 countries are also members of the Group of Twenty (G20). India currently holds the presidency of the G20 and is actively working towards achieving a consensus for a joint communique at the G20 summit scheduled for September. The G20 includes additional nations such as Russia and China, providing a broad platform for global economic cooperation and policy coordination.
The originally planned venue for the Quad summit in Sydney, Australia, was changed to the Hiroshima slate due to US President Joe Biden’s need to prioritize debt-ceiling talks in Washington.
Quad leaders representing the United States, India, Australia and Japan will meet in Hiroshima on Friday to discuss ways to enhance their cooperation on a variety of important matters, including critical and emerging technologies, high-quality infrastructure, global health, climate change. , maritime domain awareness, and other important issues related to the Indo-Pacific region, as stated by the White House.