Modi has not received an official invitation, uncertainty remains over his visit, India Today reports
Farhan Akhtar, Daily Dawn + Dawn TV reports
Toronto: Despite allegedly inflating his reputation after hosting the G-20 summit in New Delhi last year and consistently attending G7 summits as the chief guest, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not been invited to the upcoming G7 summit.
The G7 is an informal grouping that includes industrialized Western countries and Japan. In addition to France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States and Canada, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the United Nations also participate in G7 meetings.
India Today reported that South Africa, Ukraine and Australia have reportedly accepted invitations from Canada, while uncertainty remains over Prime Minister Modi’s visit.
The report said that “India has not yet received any official invitation for the summit, which is being held in Canada from June 15 to 17, but it was also said that the Indian side is not inclined to participate.” The report quoted sources as saying that it is necessary to improve relations before any such high-level visit.
The report also said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Canada in the future, some security concerns will also have to be addressed.
Last month, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said on two occasions that there was no information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the G-7 summit in Canada.
It should be noted that Sikh organizations had demanded that Ottawa not invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G-7 summit, breaking a five-year tradition.
Canada is hosting a G-7 leaders’ meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta this month.
The leaders of the G-7 countries (France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States) are expected to attend the meeting, as well as the president of the European Commission, although Ottawa has not yet said which world leaders have been invited beyond this core group.
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