Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Germany as a special guest at the G7 Summit on June 26-27, before travelling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on his way back to hold meetings with the top leadership of the country, the external affairs ministry said on Wednesday.
The prime minister will go to the German resort of Schloss Elmau at the invitation of Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the G7 Summit. He is expected to speak in two sessions that will focus on environment, energy, climate, food security, health, gender equality and democracy, the ministry said.
Besides India, countries such as Indonesia, South Africa, Argentina and Senegal have been invited to the summit of the group of seven of the world’s advanced economies, in an effort to strengthen international collaboration on these important issues, the MEA said.
On the sidelines of the summit, Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some of the participating countries.
“The invitation to the G7 Summit is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany,” the ministry said.
Modi last visited Germany in May 2022 with senior members of the Union cabinet for the India-Germany inter-governmental consultations.
{{/usCountry}}Modi last visited Germany in May 2022 with senior members of the Union cabinet for the India-Germany inter-governmental consultations.
{{/usCountry}}Analysts believe Scholz’s invitation to the prime minister to join the G7 Summit is part of Germany’s efforts to woo India away from Russia against the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine. India has maintained a neutral stance on the Ukraine crisis due to its long-standing strategic and security ties with Russia, and repeatedly called for an end to hostilities and a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.
During the visit in May, India and Germany signed several agreements on sustainable development that will provide India €10 billion in aid by 2030 to expand the use of clean energy. At the time, Scholz described India as a “central partner for Germany in Asia, in terms of economy, defence and climate policy”.
From the G7 Summit, Modi will travel to the UAE on June 28. During the short visit that is expected to last less than a day, he will pay his condolences on the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former president and ruler of Abu Dhabi. He will also congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new president.
The visit follows widespread anger in West Asian countries over controversial comments against Prophet Mohammed by two Bharatiya Janata Party spokespersons who were removed by the party. The UAE condemned the remarks but, unlike Kuwait and Qatar, didn’t summon the Indian envoy to register a protest.
The UAE is India’s second largest export destination, and also one of the country’s key partners in West Asia for energy and security. The two countries signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement in February and the UAE is also home to nearly 3.5 million Indians.