Johnson issues Modi invite to G7 summit
‘PHARMACY OF THE WORLD’ INDIA HAS VITAL GLOBAL ROLE
THE British prime minister Boris Johnson has invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to the G7 summit, as he confirmed details last Sunday (17) for the June 11-13 meeting in Cornwall.
Johnson previously extended an invitation to Modi during a phone call last year when India was chosen alongside South Korea and Australia as guest countries of the multilateral summit. That invitation was made formal last weekend.
He also reiterated his plan to visit India ahead of the G7 summit. It came after his scheduled visit as part of India’s Republic Day celebrations next Tuesday (26) was called off due to the coronavirus crisis in the UK.
The Group of Seven or G7 – comprising the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US – is dubbed as an open forum where the world’s most influential and open societies are brought together for close-knit discussions. The pandemic is likely to dominate this year’s talks.
The UK’s foreign office noted that as “pharmacy of the world”, India already supplies more than 50 per cent of the world’s vaccines. The UK and India have worked closely together during the pandemic, it added.
“The UK was the first P5 member to support a permanent UNSC (United Nations Security Council) seat for India, and the first G7 member to invite India to a G7 summit in 2005. As current BRICS president and G20 president in 2023, India will play a key role in driving multilateral cooperation and helping to build back better around the world,” an official UK government statement said.
Johnson said, “The G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face.
“Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced. It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future.”
The prime minister hopes to use the G7 to intensify cooperation between the world’s democratic and technologically advanced nations.
Leaders of the 10 attending countries represent more than 60 per cent of the population living in democracies around the world.
Ahead of the gathering of prime ministers and presidents, the UK is also set to host a number of meetings throughout the year between government ministers from the G7, both virtually and in different locations across the country.
These ministerial summits will cover economic, environmental, health, trade, technology, development and foreign policy issues.
The leaders’ meeting will be held in the coastal town of Carbis Bay, supported by neighbouring St Ives and other towns across the region.
In addition to the G7 summit this year, during February, the UK will assume the presidency of the UN Security Council.
Later this year, Britain will host the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, as well as a global education conference aimed at getting children in the developing world into school.