PM Modi arrives in Hiroshima for G7 Summit, rousing welcome by Indian diaspora

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Japan’s Hiroshima on Friday to attend the G7 Summit at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

As he reached his hotel, PM Modi was greeted by the Indian diaspora who had been waiting for hours to catch a glimpse of the leader.

Prime Minister Modi said that he looks forward to exchanging views with the member countries and other invited partners on challenges that the world faces and the need to collectively address them.

In a series of tweets before his departure, PM Modi detailed his programme in Japan, visit to Papua New Guinea and then Australia.

The G7 Summit is being held under the Japanese Presidency and PM Modi pointed that it will be a pleasure to meet the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida again after his recent visit to India for the India–Japan Summit. The PM is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with some of the leaders attending the Hiroshima G7 Summit.

“My presence in this G7 Summit is particularly meaningful as India holds the G20 Presidency this year. I look forward to exchanging views with the G7 countries and other invited partners on challenges that the world faces and the need to collectively address them,” he said.

A Quad Summit, earlier scheduled to be held in Australia, is also being planned in Hiroshima with all members of the four-nation grouping trying to make use of their leaders’ presence at the G7 to arrange their own summit on the sidelines.

From Japan, PM Modi will be visiting Papua New Guinea which will not only be his first visit to the Pacific Island nation but also the first ever by any Indian Prime Minister.

At Port Moresby, PM Modi will host the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit) jointly with Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape on May 22.

“I am grateful that all 14 Pacific Island Countries (PIC) have accepted the invitation to attend this important Summit. FIPIC had been launched during my visit to Fiji in 2014, and I look forward to engaging with the PIC Leaders on issues that bring us together, such as climate change and sustainable development, capacity building and training, health and well-being, infrastructure and economic development,” tweeted PM Modi in his departure statement.

Apart from the FIPIC engagements, several bilateral interactions with Papua New Guinea Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae, Prime Minister Marape and some of the other PIC Leaders participating in the Summit, will take place at Port Moresby.

Prime Minister Modi will thereafter travel to Sydney in Australia at the invitation of his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.

“I look forward to our bilateral meeting, which will be an opportunity to take stock of our bilateral ties and follow up on our first India-Australia Annual Summit held in New Delhi in March this year. I will also interact with Australian CEOs and business leaders, and meet the Indian community in Sydney at a special event,” said PM Modi.