Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held bilateral meetings with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and Japanese premier Sanae Takaichi in South Africa's Johannesburg on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. During his meeting with Meloni, the two leaders discussed ways to improve the bilateral ties between India and Italy.
This is the second time in two days when PM Modi met Meloni. On Saturday, the two leaders were seen shaking hands and exchanging greetings with each other after they arrived at the venue of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. "Had a very good meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The India-Italy Strategic Partnership is growing from strength to strength, greatly benefitting the people of our nations," he said.
Talking about his meet with Takaichi, the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in areas like innovation, defence and talent mobility. This was the first meeting between PM Modi and Takaichi after the latter became Japan's prime minister.
"Had a productive meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan," said PM Modi on X. "We are also looking to enhance trade ties between our nations. A strong India-Japan partnership is vital for a better planet."
PM Modi's meet with Canada's Mark Carney, Netherlands' Dick Schoof
Earlier, the prime minister also met his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, with an aim to improve the bilateral ties between India and Canada. The ties between New Delhi and Ottawa had plunged over the past few years, but has been improving lately since Carney assumed office. "India and Canada have great potential in strengthening trade and investment linkages. We have set a target of 50 billion USD by 2030 for our bilateral trade. Canadian Pension Funds are also showing keen interest in Indian companies," said PM Modi.
Meanwhile, PM Modi on Sunday also met The Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof and said that the two nations will keep working to deepen trade and investment linkages in the times to come. "The bilateral partnership between our nations is growing rapidly in areas like water resources, innovation, technology and energy," PM Modi posted on X.
PM Modi's South Africa visit and G20 Summit
PM Modi had arrived in Johannesburg on Friday to participate in the G20 Summit. South Africa is holding the G20 Summit this year after the African Union became a member during India's presidency in 2023. Notably, this is the fourth consecutive G20 Summit to be held in the Global South - Brazil (2024), India (2023) and Indonesia (2022).
After arriving in Johannesburg, the prime minister was given a warm welcome. He later thanked South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for the warm welcomed he received and also for organising the G20 Summit.
