PM Modi arrives in Canada. Will address G7 outreach session today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 16 landed in Calgary, Canada to attend the G7 Summit at Kananaskis. This is PM Modi's first visit to Canada in a decade and will see his discussions with world leaders focused on crucial global issues, including energy security, technology and innovation.

The summit is being watched keenly as it is being held against the backdrop of escalating Israel-Iran and Russia-Ukraine conflicts. Apart from Modi, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be among the guests at the summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.

President Donald Trump will to return to Washington from the G7 summit in Canada on Monday night to attend to many "important matters," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Modi, who is on a three-nation tour, arrived in Canada from Cyprus on Monday evening (local time) at the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Kananaskis gathering on June 16-17 is the Prime Minister's sixth 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.

PM Modi is expected to speak at the G7 Outreach Summit scheduled for Tuesday noon. The Outreach Summit will be themed around three core issues –  “Protecting our communities around the world”, “Building energy security and accelerating the digital transition” and “securing the partnerships of the future”.

The G7 summit is the first multilateral event that Modi will attend after the conclusion of Operation Sindoor – India's precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan last month, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. 

Apart from Prime Minister Carney, PM Modi is expected to meet multiple other leaders of the G7 and the guest countries. 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, became Canada's new prime minister in March after Trudeau resigned 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 on June 12 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.

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.

(With PTI inputs)