New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be taking part in the G7 leader's summit next month happening under the German presidency. The summit will take place from 26 to 28 June 2022 at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, Germany.
Professor Harsh V Pant, foreign policy expert and Director, of Research at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Delhi opined that 'India's participation in G7 is taken as an important signal to the world that India is a very important stakeholder in global conversations and those conversations can be taken forward with India's active participation and that's what Germany's invitation to India underscores'.
"I don't think, Germany could have avoided India in any case and Germany's foreign policy is evolving in a direction which calls for a strong relationship with India in the Indo- Pacific and beyond, he added.
"While there may be a debate in Berlin about India's stand on Ukraine, by and large, the message from all European partners including the European Union is that India has to be brought on board, India is an important partner and Ukraine might be a temporary phenomenon where there are differences but those differences should not clout the strategic component of the relationship of the engagement", added Prof Pant.
"We have seen how intense and how successful the visits of the British PM and EU Prez Ursula have been in the recent past. So there is no reason why Germany would go on a different track on this question", Prof Pant told ETV Bharat.
The summit comes amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. India-Germany ties have reached new heights in recent years. And Germany's invitation to India to attend the G7 leader's summit is indicative of the fact that Germany attaches great importance to India and it is an acknowledgement of the existing strategic partnership between the two nations.
Germany is an important partner for India in Europe and the ties have significantly grown with mutual trust and understanding. Meanwhile, India will be taking part in the G7 development ministers' meeting in Berlin, today and Thursday (May 18th and 19th). The meeting is being hosted by Germany's Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze.
The agenda of the meeting includes infrastructure, climate, energy and development partnerships for climate neutrality, and access to vaccines among others. The primary outcome of the meeting will be the launch of the global alliance on food security. The launch assumes significance even as the Russian invasion of Ukraine impacts the global supply chain and pushes the prices of commodities high.
Countries invited to attend the G7 development ministers meeting include India, Indonesia, Senegal, Vietnam, and South Africa.
On Tuesday, Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs, held a meeting with Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
"Discussions focused on further intensifying our cooperation in the field of climate action, development partnership and through G7", the Indian mission in Germany tweeted. According to sources, the G7 members are expected to urge India to reverse the decision to ban the export of wheat during the G7 leader's summit in June.
This came as India has sent MoS MEA V Muraleedharan to participate in the high-level ministerial meeting in New York on 'global food security-call to action slated to take place later today, Wednesday.
India in G7 summit
India had been invited by the G7 French Presidency in 2019 to the Biarritz Summit as a "Goodwill Partner” and Prime Minister participated in the Sessions on ‘Climate, Biodiversity and Oceans’ and ‘Digital Transformation’. Since 2019, this is the 4th consecutive time that India has been considered to attend the summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Germany for the 2nd time in just two months.
Professor Pant said, " India and Germany are increasingly looking at the world through similar lenses and as Germany begins to relook at its foreign policy and national security strategy and as it looks at the world through a more pragmatic lens post what is happening in Ukraine and China's rise, India and German's partnership is only going to grow stronger. And the elements of engagement are manifold-in trade, climate cooperation, technology cooperation and the mobility pact that was signed recently, during PM Modi's visit to Berlin. Clearly, at multiple levels, the relationship is gaining momentum".
Last month, PM Modi paid an official visit to Berlin and held talks with Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of Germany. One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the announcement of establishing the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership. Scholz formally invited PM Modi to participate in the G7 leader's summit.
Also read: G7 warn of Ukraine grain crisis, ask China not to aid Russia
