PremiumThis would be the second time that Modi would be participating in a G7 meeting. India had been invited by the G7 French Presidency in 2019 to the Biarritz Summit as a 'Goodwill Partner'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually participate in the outreach sessions of the G7 summit, hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on 12 and 13 June.
The UK holds the presidency of G7 and has invited India, Australia, South Africa and South Korea to the upcoming summit.
This would be the second time that Modi would be participating in a G7 meeting. India had been invited by the G7 French Presidency in 2019 to the Biarritz Summit as a "Goodwill Partner".
Modi had then participated in the sessions on “Climate, Biodiversity and Oceans" and “Digital Transformation."
The theme of this year’s summit is “Build Back Better", to discuss a way forward on global recovery from the pandemic.
Last month, PM Modi called off his visit to the UK for an in-person visit to attend the summit due to the Covid-19 situation in the country.
Call for study into Covid origin
India has said it supports a follow-up enquiry by the World Health Organization (WHO) for a new and transparent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
News reports on Friday said G7 leaders in their summit at Cornwall in Britain will call for a new probe into the origins of the coronavirus while pledging one billion doses of vaccines for countries around the world.
“I think we have been very clear that we support the need for a follow-up to the WHO report on the origin of covid-19 and for further studies and we have called for understanding and cooperation of all in this regard," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi told reporters on Friday.
Summit begins
The Group of Seven (G7) summit began formally on Friday as the leaders of the world's most advanced economies gathered on the Cornish coast for the first time since the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic.
The UK has outlined four priority areas for its presidency this year -- leading the global recovery from coronavirus while strengthening resilience against future pandemics, promoting future prosperity by championing free and fair trade, tackling climate change and preserving the planet's biodiversity and championing shared values and open societies.
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