"Glad to have met my friend," PM Modi posts pictures with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at G-7 Summit
May 20, 2023
Hiroshima [Japan], May 20 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday during which the two leaders reviewed and positively assessed progress in bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional developments and global challenges.
PM Modi met German Chancellor Scholz on the sidelines of the 49th summit of the Group of Seven (G-7) in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
"Ever growing India, Germany ties! PM @narendramodi met @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz of Germany at the Hiroshima @G7 Summit," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on Saturday.
"The leaders reviewed and positively assessed the progress in bilateral relations. Exchanged views on regional developments and global challenges," Bagchi further wrote.
During the meeting, PM Modi welcomed Germany's support for the India-EU trade and investment agreements, and for India's G20 Presidency.
PM Modi on Saturday tweeted: "Glad to have met my friend, @Bundeskanzler @OlafScholz on the sidelines of the G-7 Summit in Hiroshima." The Prime Minister's account also posted two pictures of the the two leaders.
Meanwhile, PM Modi and US President Joe Biden greeted each other warmly and shared a hug as they met in Hiroshima earlier today
The meeting between the two leaders comes ahead of the third in-person summit of leaders of the Quad summit later today. PM Modi is attending the G7 Summit under the Japanese Presidency at the invitation of PM Fumio Kishida.
Prime Minister Modi is also scheduled on an official State visit to the US from June 21 to 24, where he will be hosted by US President Biden at the White House.
PM Modi also held bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Earlier today, PM Modi was welcomed by his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida as he arrived for the Working Session 6 of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima.
PM Modi who arrived in Japan a day ago reviewed the full range of relations between India and Japan during his bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida earlier today.
The two leaders also discussed the focus areas of India's G20 Presidency and Japan's G7 Presidency towards making the planet better.
The two leaders discussed ways to synergise the efforts of their respective G-20 and G-7 Presidencies. Prime Minister stressed the need to highlight the concerns and priorities of Global South.
According to officials, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Tokyo, notably, this is the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after the Russia-Ukraine war started on February 24, 2022.
The Ukrainian president is attending the summit on an invitation by Japan, the current chair of the powerful grouping.
Since the Ukraine conflict began, PM Modi has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Zelenskyy several times.
Japan is hosting the G7 summit as the current chair of the powerful grouping. PM Modi will be in Hiroshima for the G7 summit from May 19 to May 21. He is expected to speak on global challenges, including food, fertiliser and energy security.
