G20 summit: Modi meets Draghi and EU leaders, to call on Pope today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and top leaders of the European Union in Rome on Friday, ahead of the G20 Summit on Saturday. 

India and Italy are likely to come up with a common document on “ energy transitions” which will concentrate on cooperation innon-renewable energy, sources told The Indian Express. 

Modi and Draghi held expansive addresses on diversifying India-Italy ties. 

The Prime Minister will meet Pope Francis on Saturday. He’s also likely to meet French President Emmanuel Macron and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. 

At the meeting between Modi and EU leaders, the two sides bandied heightening the India-EU fellowship, particularly in areas similar as trade, commerce, culture, and the terrain. 

The Prime Minister, who arrived in Rome before in the day, began his sanctioned engagements with a “ productive commerce” with the chairman of the European Council, Charles Michel, and chairman of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. 

 “ Official engagements in Rome begin with a productive commerce with@eucopresident Charles Michel and@vonderleyen, President of the@EU_Commission. The leaders bandied ways to enhance profitable as well as people-to-people liaison aimed at creating a better earth,” the Prime Minister’s Office twittered. 

 Latterly, Modi described his meeting with the EU leaders as “ awful”. 

 “ Awful meeting with@EU_Commission President@vonderleyen and@eucopresident Charles Michel. We had wide- ranging addresses on heightening the India-EU fellowship, particularly in areas similar as trade, commerce, culture and the terrain,” Modi twittered. 

In a tweet, Michel said “ India has a crucial part to play in the green transition. We bandied global health and fighting the epidemic, the strong EU-India Strategic Partnership, the situation in Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific” (where China is flexing its muscles). 

Leyen twittered “ Good to meet@narendramodi. Our strategic docket is on the right track. We agreed that our trade mediators will start to work. We ‘ll consolidate our cooperation on climate including on invention & technology. Looking forward to cooperating in the Indo-Pacific.” 

She also complimented India for its “ excellent progress” on vaccination against Covid-19, and for continuing vaccine exports. “ We need to join forces to help vaccinate the world and beat the global epidemic,” Leyen said. 

India crossed a major corner in its vaccination programme after cumulatively administering a billion boluses to its citizens last week. 

After the Prime Minister’s meeting with the European leaders, Ministry of External Affairs prophet Arindam Bagchi said there had been “ expansive discussion” on a number of crucial issues. 

 “ Heightening ties between India and EU! PM@narendramodi met European Council President Charles Michel@eucopresident & European Commission President@vonderleyen. An expansive discussion covering trade & investment ties, climate change, COVID-19, global & indigenous developments,” Bagchi said on Twitter. 

The MEA said in a statement that the leaders recalled their “ productive virtual engagements in the form of India-EU Leaders’ meeting in the form of EU 27 in May 2021 and 15th India EU Summit in July, 2020”. 

“ During the meeting, leaders of India and EU reviewed India-EU cooperation covering political & security relations, trade & investment and profitable cooperation as well as the Roadmap2025 agreed at the last India-EU Summit”. They also bandied climate change, Covid-19 epidemic and contemporary global and indigenous developments of interest to both sides, the statement said. 

 Latterly, Modi paid flowery paeans at a bust of Mahatma Gandhi. 

“ In Rome, I had the occasion to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi, whose ideals give courage and alleviation to millions encyclopedically,” Modi said.