With lower than two weeks to go for the beginning of the G7 Summit, being hosted by Canada in Kananaskis in Alberta from June 15-17, India remains to be to obtain an invite to the gathering.
If the invitation window closes, Delhi’s absence on the summit would be the first break since 2019. Barring 2020 when the G7 huddle was cancelled by the US, the host nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attended each summit since 2019.
The nippiness in Delhi-Ottawa ties has not gone unnoticed. The 2 nations downgraded diplomatic ties after Justin Trudeau, the then Canadian Prime Minister, set off a political storm in 2023 when he alleged “potential” involvement of Indian authorities brokers within the killing of a Canada-based Khalistan separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the costs as “absurd” and “motivated”.
Often, G7 host nations invite some nations as visitor nations or outreach companions. Canada has to date invited Ukraine and Australia. It has not launched names of different visitor nations.
France was the host of the G7 leaders’ summit in Biarritz in August 2019 — after Modi turned Prime Minister in 2014, this was the primary invitation.
Earlier than that, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had attended the G8 summit 5 occasions between 2004 and 2014 — the grouping turned the G7 in 2014 after Russia’s suspension, and subsequent exit, over its annexation of Crimea.
In 2020, US President Donald Trump referred to as the G7 a “very outdated group” and mentioned he want to embody India, Australia, South Korea and Russia within the grouping of the biggest superior economies. Trump had urged that the Group of seven be referred to as “G10 or G11”, and proposed that the grouping meet in September or November 2020. However as a result of pandemic and the US elections, that didn’t occur.
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Modi attended the G7 summit in 2021 through digital mode, after which attended the summits in Germany in 2022, Japan in 2023 and Italy in 2024.
This Might 25, Canada’s new International Minister Anita Anand had a cellphone dialog with Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. It was the primary official political-level contact between Delhi and Ottawa after Mark Carney gained the Canadian elections and have become Prime Minister, elevating hopes for a reset in ties.
Anand mentioned Canada regarded ahead to rebuilding ties with India as a part of an effort to diversify commerce away from the US — even because the RCMP investigation into the killing of Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar continued.
In an interview, referring to Nijjar’s killing, she mentioned: “We’re definitely taking it one step at a time. As I discussed, the rule of regulation won’t ever be compromised, and there may be an ongoing investigation relating to the case that you just talked about.”
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“On the identical time, we’re wanting ahead to persevering with to construct this partnership, and we’re wanting ahead to that as a authorities – it’s not simply me…It’s a part of the method of diversifying {our relationships} and constructing relationships around the globe,” she mentioned.
Going by the timelines for the G7 summit — the truth that little or no time is left for an invite and safety and liaison groups normally journey to the venue forward of the Prime Minister’s go to — there’s a slim probability of Modi attending the G7 summit even when the invitation comes now.
But when an invite is prolonged, there’s a chance {that a} minister or a authorities consultant might attend. A name on that can solely be taken after the invitation is acquired.