Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here in the Japanese city on Friday to attend the annual summit of the G7 grouping and the third in-person Quad leaders’ meeting. He is expected to speak on challenges facing the globe, including food, fertiliser and energy security.
Modi arrived on the first leg of his three-nation trip to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia and is likely take part in over 40 engagements. He will interact with over two dozen world leaders in summits as well as in bilateral meetings, officials said.
"I look forward to exchanging views with the G7 countries and other invited partners on challenges that the world faces and the need to collectively address them. I would also be holding bilateral meetings with some of the leaders attending the Hiroshima G7 Summit," Modi said in his departure statement.
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"My presence in this G7 summit is particularly meaningful as India holds the G20 presidency this year. I look forward to exchanging views with the G7 countries and other invited partners on challenges that the world faces and the need to collectively address them," he said.
Modi is visiting Hiroshima from May 19 to 21 primarily for the annual summit of the G7 advanced economies and is expected to hold bilateral meetings with some of the world leaders attending the Hiroshima G7 Summit.
The G-7 bloc comprises Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as the European Union. From Japan, he will travel to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea where he will host the third summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) on May 22 jointly with Prime Minister James Marape.
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In the third and final leg of the trip, Modi will visit Australia from May 22 to 24. The Quad summit was originally scheduled to be held in Sydney but it will now take place in Hiroshima as US President Joe Biden postponed his visit to Australia to focus on crucial debt-ceiling talks in Washington.
The Quad leaders from the US, India, Australia and Japan will discuss how they can deepen their cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, high-quality infrastructure, global health, climate change, maritime domain awareness, and other issues that matter to the people of the Indo-Pacific, according to the White House.
Modi's visit to Papua New Guinea will be the first ever by any Indian prime minister. "I am grateful that all 14 Pacific Island Countries (PIC) have accepted the invitation to attend this important summit (FIPIC)," Modi said. FIPIC was launched during his visit to Fiji in 2014.
Protests in Hiroshima
Meanwhile, hundreds of protestors gathered in the Japanese city of Hiroshima to protest against the upcoming G7 summit. According to reports, the protesters urged not to use the tragedy of the city for political purposes.
(With inputs from PTI)
