NEW DELHI, Jan 17: The prime minister Narendra Modi has been invited to attend the G7 meeting to be held in the United Kingdom in June.
The invitation was issued on Sunday by the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the current chairman of the group.
“The G7 Summit will be held in Carbis Bay, Cornwall on 11-13 June 2021. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the UK’s G7 Presidency to unite leading democracies to help the world fight and then build back better from Coronavirus and create a greener, more prosperous future. The UK has invited Australia, India and South Korea as guest countries to this year’s G7,” a statement from the British PMO said.
Talking about the G-7 meeting, Johnson, who will welcome fellow G7 leaders to one of the most beautiful parts of the UK, said, “As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face. From cancelling developing world debt to our universal condemnation of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the world has looked to the G7 to apply our shared values and diplomatic might to create a more open and prosperous planet.”
“With over 400 miles of coastline, Cornwall’s stunning landscape provides a perfect setting for world leaders to come together and discuss how to respond to global challenges like coronavirus and climate change. The Summit will also provide the best of Cornish hospitality for leaders, delegates and the world’s media. It will involve the whole of Cornwall, boosting local businesses and showcasing this unique part of the UK to the world,” the statement added.
Johnson was scheduled to be India’s guest at the Republic Day parade in Delhi but cancelled his visit last week due to surge of new Corona strain in his country forcing him to impose another round of national lockdown.
Last year Donald Trump had deferred the 46th G-7, saying, “I’m postponing it because I don’t feel that as a G7 it properly represents what’s going on in the world.” The summit was scheduled to be held through June 10-12 at Camp David in the US.
In 2019, the G-7 summit was held on August 24-26 at Biarritz in southwestern France, where Modi was invited to attend as a special guest of French President Emmanuel Macron.
The G-7 or ‘Group of Seven’ included Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and the United States. It is an intergovernmental organisation that was formed in 1975 by the top economies of the time as an informal forum to discuss pressing world issues. Canada joined the group in 1976, and the European Union began attending in 1977. The G-7 was known as the ‘G-8’ for several years after the original seven were joined by Russia in 1997. The Group returned to being called G-7 after Russia was expelled as a member in 2014 following the latter’s annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine.
Initially formed as an effort by the US and its allies to discuss economic issues, the G-7 forum has deliberated about several challenges over the decades, such as the oil crashes of the 1970s, the economic changeover of ex-Soviet bloc nations, and many pressing issues such as financial crises, terrorism, arms control, and drug trafficking.
(Manas Dasgupta)