Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 16 landed in Calgary, Canada to attend the G7 Summit at Kananaskis. This is PM Modi’s first visit to Canada in a decade and will see his discussions with world leaders focused on crucial global issues, including energy security, technology and innovation.
The summit is being watched keenly as it is being held against the backdrop of escalating Israel-Iran and Russia-Ukraine conflicts. Apart from Modi, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will be among the guests at the summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.
US President Donald Trumpwill return to Washington early from the G7 summit in Canada to attend to many “important matters,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said hours after the President refused to join a push for de-escalation and diplomacy between Iran and Israel.
‘Exchange views with leaders of G7 countries’
PM Modi, who is on a three-nation tour, arrived in Canada from Cyprus on Monday evening (local time) at the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Kananaskis gathering on June 16-17 is the Prime Minister’s sixth consecutive participation in the G7 Summit.
“At the Summit, the Prime Minister will exchange views with leaders of G 7 countries, other invited outreach countries and Heads of International Organisations on crucial global issues, including energy security, technology and innovation, particularly the AI-energy nexus and Quantum-related issues,” the Ministry of External Affairs said earlier.
G7 Outreach Summit
PM Modi is expected to speak at the G7 Outreach Summit scheduled for Tuesday noon. The Outreach Summit will be themed around three core issues – “Protecting our communities around the world”, “Building energy security and accelerating the digital transition” and “securing the partnerships of the future”.
The G7 summit is the first multilateral event that Modi will attend after the conclusion of Operation Sindoor – India’s precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan last month, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
Apart from PM Carney, PM Modi is expected to meet multiple other leaders of the G7 and the guest countries. Carney’s invitation to Modi to attend the G7 Summit signalled the new government’s intent to repair the ties with New Delhi that plummeted to an all-time low over the killing of pro-Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
‘Exploring a path to reset ties with Canada’
In October last year, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.
India had accused Justin Trudeau’s government of allowing pro-Khalistani elements to operate from Canadian soil.
Carney, an economist and political newcomer, became Canada’s new prime minister in March after Trudeau resigned from the top office.
After Trudeau’s exit, New Delhi said it hoped to rebuild ties with Canada based on “mutual trust and sensitivity”.
In the last few months, the security officials of India and Canada resumed contact and both sides were looking at the possibility of appointing new high commissioners.
The Ministry of External Affairs said on 12 June that India is exploring a path to reset ties with Canada. The upcoming meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit will offer India and Canada an important opportunity to exchange views on bilateral and global issues, the foreign ministry said.
“India, Canada vibrant democracies, bound by shared commitment to rule of law,” the MEA said ahead of the G7 meeting.
During PM Modi’s last visit in 2015, bilateral ties were elevated to the level of strategic partnership.
Bilateral Trade
Bilateral trade in goods in 2024 stood at USD 8.6 billion. India exported USD 4.2 billion and imported USD 4.4 billion worth of goods. Bilateral trade in services in 2024 stood at USD 14.3 billion, with India exporting USD 2.5 billion and importing USD 11.8 billion worth of services.
Canada assumed the annual rotating presidency of the G7 on January 1, 2025, with this marking the 50th anniversary of the G7 Summit.
The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal grouping of the world’s advanced economies – France, the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada and the European Union. Its members meet annually at the G7 Summit to discuss global economic and geopolitical issues.