Bali (Indonesia): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Bali, Indonesia. Earlier in the day, PM Modi held "fruitful" talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the G-20 summit here and the two leaders examined ways to expand bilateral economic engagement and defence collaboration. In a tweet, Modi said he was "delighted" to meet the German Chancellor.
"Delighted to meet Chancellor Scholz. This is our third meeting this year and we built on the strong ground covered during the Inter Governmental Consultations held earlier. We discussed ways to boost economic ties, defence collaboration and other important issues," he tweeted. The Prime Minister's Office described the talks as "fruitful". "A fruitful meeting between PM @narendramodi and Chancellor Scholz was held on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Bali. The talks covered different subjects aimed at furthering India-Germany friendship, particularly in key areas such as trade, finance and security," PMO India tweeted.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Bali on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. Prime Minister Modi said close India-France ties are a "force of great global good". "As always, an excellent meeting with President @EmmanuelMacron. We had in-depth discussions on various issues including boosting cooperation in defence, nuclear energy and food security. Close India-France ties are a force of great global good," he tweeted.
On his part, Macron tweeted that both sides share the same agenda for peace and that France will work on it under India's upcoming G20 Presidency. The prime minister's office said the two leaders discussed how to enhance defence ties, further sustainable growth and increase economic cooperation. "PM @narendramodi and President @EmmanuelMacron held talks at the @g20org Summit in Bali. They had fruitful deliberations on a variety of subjects. The two leaders discussed how to enhance defence ties, further sustainable growth and increase economic cooperation," it tweeted.
Foreign Secretary Kwatra in his briefing said that PM Modi will also be meeting UK PM Rishi Sunak which will provide an opportunity to review the wide-ranging India-UK partnership. He is also slated to meet the Italian PM to review the multisectoral partnerships between the two countries.
Moreover, speaking about PM Modi's advice on the "era not of war” advice to Russian President Putin, he said that it resonated very deeply across all delegations and helped bridge the gap across different parties. The Foreign Secretary also added that PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged courtesies at the G20 dinner on Tuesday.
PM Modi on Wednesday also participated in the Digital Transformation Session at the 17th edition of the G20 Leaders Summit. He also arrived at the mangrove forest where he was greeted by Indonesia's President Joko Widodo. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi's Office said, "PM @narendramodi and other G20 leaders visited a mangrove forest in Bali, giving a strong message of coming together to tackle climate change and boost sustainable development. India has also joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate."
During the Mangrove forest visit, PM Modi and US President Joe Biden exchanged greetings with each other. Yesterday, PM Modi was greeted by Indonesia's President Joko Widodo at the venue. Upon his arrival in Bali on Sunday night, PM Modi received a traditional welcome. "Grateful to the Indian community for the warm welcome in Bali!" the Prime Minister tweeted. PM Narendra Modi is on a three-day visit to Bali to attend the G20 Leaders Summit.
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the G20 working session on Food and Energy Security where he reiterated India's long-standing position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy in Ukraine and said "'We have to find a way to return to the path of the ceasefire" in Kyiv. He also said, "I have repeatedly said that we have to find a way to return to the path of ceasefire and diplomacy in Ukraine." PM Narendra Modi is on a three-day visit to Bali to attend the G20 Leaders Summit which concluded on Wednesday.
