Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, 29 October, met his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi in Rome, ahead of the 16th G-20 Summit, scheduled to be held from 30-31 October. According to the prime minister's office, the two leaders held extensive talks on diversifying India-Italy ties.
PM Modi was also given a guard of honour at the Chigi Palace, the official residence of the PM of Italy.
Earlier, he was extended a warm welcome by the Indian community in Rome.
PM Modi had arrived in Rome at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. Hours after his arrival, PM Modi tweeted about his meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, and said:
"We had wide-ranging talks on deepening the India-EU friendship, particularly in areas such as trade, commerce, culture and the environment."
PM Modi also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Piazza Gandhi in Rome and reportedly interacted with the members of the Indian community there.
Ahead of his departure from India earlier on Friday, PM Modi took to Twitter to announce his visit to Rome, the Vatican city and later Glasgow over the next few days to take part in multiple bilateral meetings including G20 Leaders Summit and COP26.
He added that there would be various bilateral and community related programmes during his visit.
PM Modi's Departure Statement
A statement released from PM Modi's office said that he will be visiting Rome, Italy and the Vatican City, from 29 to 31 October, while he would be in Glasgow from 1-2 November.
Speaking about the G20 summit, PM Modi noted that this will be the first in-person Summit of the G20 since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, adding that it will allow leaders to take stock of the current global situation and exchange ideas "on how the G20 can be an engine for strengthening economic resilience and building back inclusively and sustainably from the pandemic."
On the COP-26, the prime minister said that he would be sharing India’s "excellent track record on climate action" and the country's achievements.
"Today, India is creating new records in collective effort for climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience and forging multilateral alliances. India is among the top countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy, wind and solar energy capacity," he wrote.
PM Modi further said that he would be highlighting the need to comprehensively address climate change issues "including equitable distribution of carbon space, support for mitigation and adaptation and resilience building measures, mobilisation of finance, technology transfer and importance of sustainable lifestyles for green and inclusive growth."
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