UK invites PM Modi to G7, Boris Johnson plans to visit India

The United Kingdom (UK) has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 Summit as a guest. The G7 Summit would be held in Cornwall in June 2021. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also likely to visit India ahead of the G7 Summit, a statement by British High Commission said.

“Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the first in-person G7 summit in almost two years to ask leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to seize the opportunity to build back better from coronavirus, uniting to make the future fairer, greener and more prosperous,” the statement said.

Boris Johnson was planning to visit India to Republic Day parade. He was the supposed to be the chief guest in R-Day parade. However the plan was cancelled because of the serious coronavirus situation in the UK.

Terming India as ‘pharmacy of the world’, the UK praised the efforts regarding the production of coronavirus vaccine and said, “India already supplies more than 50 per cent of the world’s vaccines, and the UK and India have worked closely together throughout the pandemic.”

Apart from India, Australia and South Korea,too, have been invited to attend G7 summit. The meet is scheduled to be held in Cornwall from June 11 to 14, 2021.

Announcing plans to hold the G7 Summit in June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he wanted to use Britain’s presidency of the G7 to forge a consensus that the global economy must recover from the COVID-19 crisis in a pro-free trade and sustainable way.

“Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced,” he said in a statement. “It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future.”

The summit in June will address shared challenges, from beating coronavirus and tackling climate change, to ensuring that people everywhere can benefit from open trade, technological change and scientific discovery.

G7 is a grouping of leading economies — the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the USA and the EU.

Last year’s G7 meeting, due to be hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, was cancelled due to the pandemic.The leaders of Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Italy, Japan, the European Union and Canada have not met in person since the 2019 meeting in Biarritz, France.