CALGARY (CANADA): (Jun 17) , Jun 17 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here to attend the G7 Summit at Kananaskis, his first visit to Canada in a decade, with discussions with world leaders to be focussed on crucial global issues, including energy security, technology and innovation.
Modi, who is on a three-nation tour, arrived Monday evening (local time) in Canada from Cyprus at the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Kananaskis gathering on June 16-17 is the Prime Minister’s 6th consecutive participation in the G7 Summit.
“At the Summit, the Prime Minister will exchange views with leaders of G-7 countries, other invited outreach countries and Heads of International Organisations on crucial global issues, including energy security, technology and innovation, particularly the AI-energy nexus and Quantum-related issues,” the Ministry of External Affairs earlier said.
Prime Minister Modi will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summit, coming over a month after India’s Operation Sindoor that had targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attacks.
Carney’s invitation to Modi to attend the G7 Summit signalled the new government’s intent to repair the ties with New Delhi that plummeted to an all-time low over the killing of pro-Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In October last year, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.
India had accused Justin Trudeau’s government of allowing pro-Khalistani elements to operate from Canadian soil.
Carney, an economist and political newcomer, took charge as Canada’s new prime minister in March following the exit of Trudeau from the top office.
After Trudeau’s exit, New Delhi said it hoped to rebuild ties with Canada based on “mutual trust and sensitivity”.
In the last few months, the security officials of India and Canada resumed contact and both sides were looking at the possibility of appointing new high commissioners.
Describing India and Canada as “vibrant democracies”, the external affairs ministry said last week that New Delhi believes the forthcoming meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the G7 Summit will offer an important opportunity to exchange views and “explore pathways” to reset bilateral ties.
During PM Modi’s last visit in 2015, bilateral ties were elevated to the level of strategic partnership.
Bilateral trade in goods in 2024 stood at USD 8.6 billion. India exported USD 4.2 billion and imported USD 4.4 billion worth of goods. Bilateral trade in services in 2024 stood at USD 14.3 billion, with India exporting USD 2.5 billion and importing USD 11.8 billion worth of services.
The G7 summit comes amidst rising geopolitical tensions, including escalating tensions in the Middle East in the wake of the strikes between Iran and Israel, as well as a trade war triggered by US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
Trump arrived in Kananaskis Sunday for the G7 Summit and will have a bilateral meeting with Carney. The US leader is also expected to have bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo on the sidelines of the Summit.
Canada assumed the annual rotating presidency of the G7 on January 1, 2025, with this marking the 50th anniversary of the G7 Summit.
The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal grouping of the world’s advanced economies – France, the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada and the European Union. Its members meet annually at the G7 Summit to discuss global economic and geopolitical issues.
India, the fifth-largest economy in the world, has regularly been invited to the Outreach session of the G7 Summit in the past few years.
India has attended eleven G7 Summit Outreach sessions till date: 2003 (France); 2005 (UK); 2006 (Russia); 2007 (Germany); 2008 (Japan); 2009 (Italy); 2019 (France); 2021 (UK); Germany (2022), Japan(2023), and Italy (2024).
According to a statement, the Outreach Segment of the 51st G7 Summit will have one session.
The summit is expected to deliberate on pressing challenges facing the globe including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in West Asia.
Canada hosts one of the largest Indian diasporas abroad, accounting for nearly 4.5% of its population. This includes nearly 1.8 million Canadians of Indian origin (of which the Sikh population is roughly 770,000), and 1 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), who are in Canada in various capacities – students, skilled workers, temporary workers etc.
Indian students have historically been the largest group of international students in Canada, comprising 41% in 2022. However, the recent tightening of immigration has impacted both Indian students’ opportunities and Canadian universities’ finances. PTI
