PM Modi meets Rishi Sunak, Brazil's Lula at G7; review strategic ties
Modi and Sunak also agreed to deepen cooperation in a range of areas, including trade, investment, science and technology, and higher education.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on Sunday reviewed the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and took stock of progress in negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).
Sunak was among the world leaders with whom Modi held meetings on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima. The two leaders also discussed India’s G20 presidency, and Modi said he looked forward to welcoming Sunak to the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September. Sunak committed his “strong support” for the G20 presidency, which he said comes at a “crucial time for global security and prosperity”.
A statement from the external affairs ministry said, “The two leaders reviewed their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including taking stock of progress in India-UK FTA negotiations.”
According to a readout from the UK Prime Minister’s Office, the two leaders “agreed that their teams would continue to work at pace to finalise an ambitious and mutually beneficial” trade deal.
Modi and Sunak also agreed to deepen cooperation in a range of areas, including trade, investment, science and technology, higher education, and people-to-people relations.
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Modi also met Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for the first time on the margins of the G7 Summit on Sunday and reviewed the strategic partnership between the two sides.
The two leaders also discussed ways to deepen cooperation in defence production, trade, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, dairy and animal husbandry, biofuels and clean energy, the external affairs ministry said.
Modi and Lula noted this year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations and emphasised the need to organise a high-level meeting of business leaders from both sides. The leaders also exchanged views on regional developments, the importance of cooperation in multilateral platforms, and the long-standing need for reforming multilateral institutions.
“The talks with President @LulaOficial were productive and wide-ranging. India and Brazil will keep working together to deepen trade ties,” Modi wrote on Twitter.
Modi joined other leaders attending the G7 Summit to visit the Peace Memorial Museum, where he observed the documented exhibits and signed the visitors’ book. The leaders paid floral tributes at the cenotaph for the victims of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War 2.
From Hiroshima, Modi embarked on the second leg of his three-nation tour that takes him to Papua New Guinea, where he will co-host the third Summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation with Prime Minister James Marape at Port Moresby on May 22.
Launched in 2014, the forum brings together India and 14 Pacific Island countries, including Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Solomon Islands.
