7 minute read
World leaders in awe of India and PM Modi
Continued from page 1
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his counterparts from different nations during the summit As the elections are around the corner in many countries, world leaders are trying to gain popularity to win
India's growing global impact and reliance force the G7 to consider its viewpoint India's participation in the G7 demonstrates that it is a democratic big power that is responsible and non-authoritarian India stands third in the world when it comes to defence expenditure India's GDP is similar to the UK, and higher than France, Italy, and Canada Therefore, G7 invites India every year and wants to communicate Modi unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at Hiroshima Peace Park in Japan The bust was gifted by India to Hiroshima as a symbol of friendship and goodwill between India and Japan
In their second face-to-face meeting since the G20 Summit in Indonesia last November, Modi and Sunak reportedly discussed innovat i o n , r e s e a r c h , a n d t h e C o m p r e h e n s i v e Strategic Partnership Sharing details of the meeting, Modi tweeted a series of images of his interaction with the British PM He wrote, “ P r o d u c t i v e d i s c u s s i o n w i t h U K P M
@ R i s h i S u n a k o n t h e s i d e l i n e s o f t h e Hiroshima G-7 Summit ”
The official Twitter account of the British High Commission in India retweeted the post adding more pictures of the leaders sharing a hug with the caption,“Ek mazboot dosti (a strong friendship) ”
Notably, after Sunak's first ever meeting with Modi in 2022, he posted a photo of them hand-in-hand with the same caption saying, “United by friendship ”
An official statement by the Ministry of E x t e r n a l A f f a i r s r e a d , “ L e a d e r s a g r e e d t o deepen cooperation across a wide range of areas, such as trade & investment, science & technology, higher education, and people-topeople relationships ”
D o w n i n g S t r e e t a l s o s t a t e d t h a t t h e
British Indian leader's first trip to India is anticipated to be for the G20 Summit in New Delhi later this year due to India's G20 presidency The PM expressed enthusiasm over welcoming Sunak in September
Modi, Sunak's commitment t o FTA
PM Modi and Sunak reaffirmed their commitment to an ambitious and advantageous agreement while reviewing the IndiaUK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the status of the ongoing FTA discussions
The two leaders decided to expand their cooperation in a variety of fields, including trade and investment, science and technolog y , h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n , a n d i n t e r c u l t u r a l exchanges, according to a readout “They discussed progress on a UK-India Free Trade Agreement The leaders agreed that their teams would continue to work at pace to finalise an ambitious and mutually beneficial deal,” a Downing Street spokesperson was quoted as saying
“The leaders discussed the wider objectives of the G7 Summit and Sunak committed his strong support for India’s G20 presidency, which comes at a crucial time for global security and prosperity He looked forward to working closely with PM Modi ahead of a successful summit later this year, ” the spokesperson added
With PM Sunak, his wife Akshata Murthy also joined in their first official visit to G7 Summit in Japan He paid a visit to the Hiroshima atomic blast site before beginning his tour with a speech about the Hiroshima Accord, a global strategic alliance between the UK and Japan The historic agreement is thought to be essential to Britain's IndoPacific strategy and to counter China's sway in the area
Many top leaders such as Zelensky, Biden, Albanese praised Modi for his demonstrating the democracies in every matter His actions have made a huge impact on the Indo-pacific region such as climate change, food security etc
Your popular it y is a pr ob lem for me: Biden to Modi
President Biden said, “I have run out of tickets” for a dinner scheduled in Washington in honour of the former during his state visit to the US in June “I should take your autograph You are causing me a real problem Everyone wants to come (to the dinner), from movie stars to relatives I’ve run out of tickets,” Biden told Modi He also praised PM Modi for “making a significant impact on everything, including what we are doing in the Quad” Biden said, “You made a fundamental shift in climate change You have influence in the Indo-Pacific You are making a difference”
The whole world is watching India as it is sitting at the high Biden told Modi that he is demonstrating that democracies matter, he has influence in the Indo-Pacific region and he made a significant impact on everything
A u s t r a l i a n P r i m e M i n i s t e r A n t h o n y Albanese said he too was getting similar r e q u e s t s f o r t h e e v e n t A c c o r d i n g t o t h e media, Albanese recalled the occasion when 90,000 spectators gathered to cheer him on during the victory lap at the Narendra Modi stadium Hearing this, Biden told Modi in a lighter vein that he should take his autograph!
Modi a t G7: The Mill ion-Buck Handshake
India's position on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has generated considerable controversy India has often said that it opposes war and has justified and clarified its p o s i t i o n I n d i a h a s m a i n t a i n e d a n e u t r a l stance in the UN, while the Ukrainian equivalent has vigorously contested this position
I n t h e i r f i r s t b i l a t e r a l m e e t i n g s i n c e R u s s i a ' s i n v a s i o n o f U k r a i n e , P M M o d i a s s u r e d U k r a i n i a n P r e s i d e n t V o l o d y m y r Zelensky that India would do everything in its power to put an end to the conflict via negotiations and diplomacy and to lessen the suffering of the Ukrainian people
India is a reliable development partner, says PM Modi at FIPIC
PM Modi, Alb ane se rena me Sy dney suburb as ‘Li ttle In dia’
During the event at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, PM Modi and h i s A u s t r a l i a n c o u n t e r p a r t said those
"our confidants, it was found that they did not stand by us in the time of need
India respects your priorities We are proud to be your development partner - be it humanitarian aid or your development, you can see India as a reliable partner Our approach is based on human values," Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit the country, said
In his opening remarks, Modi also discussed the negative effects of the Covid-19 and other global changes on supplies of food, gasoline, fertiliser, and pharmaceutical products at the summit attended by top leaders of 14 Pacific Island Nations in this capital city of Papua New Guinea
"I am glad that India stood shoulder to shoulder with its Pacific Island friends in this challenging time Whether it is a vaccine made in India or essential medicines; be it wheat or sugar, India continued to help all fellow countries according to its capabilities," he said
Anthony Albanese renamed the Sydney district as "Little India " Speaking at the event, Modi announced that India will open a new consulate in Brisbane soon During his address, he asserted India’s position in the world as the “force of global good India is always ready to help others whenever there is a disaster,” he said H e a l s o h a i l e d I n d i a a s t h e “ m o t h e r o f democracy,” as well as a “bright spot” in the global economy
PM Modi informed the local media that he wants closer bilateral defence and security cooperation as China's influence in the IndoPacific region expands Ahead of Modi’s arrival, Prime Minister Albanese said in a statement, “I am honoured to host Prime M i n i s t e r M o d i f o r a n o f f i c i a l v i s i t t o Australia, after receiving an extremely warm welcome in India earlier this year ”
PM Modi to inaugurate New Parliament building on May 28
Prim e M inister Narend ra Mod i w ill officially inaugurate th e new Parliam ent bu ild ing on M ay 28, accord ing to a statement from the Lok Sabha S ecretariat L ok S abha speaker Om Birla has inv ited M odi to inaugurate the new parliament building
“Construction of the New Parliament Building is complete now and the new building symbolises the spirit of self-reliant India (Atmanirbhar Bharat),” the Lok Sabha statement said Construction of the existing Parliament was completed in 1927 and there was “lack of space ” as per the current needs, it said “In both the Houses, there was also lack of convenient arrangements for the sitting of the MPs which was affecting efficiency of work of the members Considering the above, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed resolutions urging the government to construct a new building for the Parliament,” the statement said The new structure, which is located next to the current Parliament House, would have a capacity for 888 Lok Sabha members and 300 Rajya Sabha members, respectively, as opposed to the current capabilities of 543 and 250 After the PM laid the foundation stone of the new building on December 10, 2020, construction began in January 2021 and was supposed to be done by November 2022 Tata Projects Ltd built the structure, which was planned by Ahmedabad-based HCP Design, Planning and Management, t consultant for the wider Central Vista redevelopment project