PM reviews bilateral ties with Canada, UK, UAE leaders on G7 sidelines in France

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held bilateral discussions with several world leaders, including his Canadian and UK counterparts, on the sidelines of the ongoing G-7 Summit in Evian, France.

He said that the full range of India-Canada bilateral relations, including trade and econoy, energy, technology, and people-to-people ties, were discussed in his interaction with Mark Carney.

"It was a delight to meet Prime Minister Carney on the sidelines of the Evian G7 Summit. In less than a year, it is our fourth meeting, indicating our commitment to strong India-Canada ties," PM Modi said in a post on X as he shared photos of the meeting.

Carney was in India from February 27 to March 2, during which New Delhi and Ottawa sealed key pacts on supplies of uranium and critical minerals and agreed to conclude a comprehensive economic partnership agreement.

At the time, the two prime ministers had also pledged to boost cooperation in key areas such as defence, critical technologies, small and modular nuclear reactors, education and renewable energy.

PM Modi and Carney's high-level bilateral interactions over the past year have highlighted India and Canada's joint efforts in rebuilding diplomatic ties that were severely damaged by then-Canada PM Justin Trudeau's unsubstantiated allegations of a potential Indian link to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey.

PM MODI MEETS WITH STARMER

PM Modi also met with his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, on the sidelines of the Evian G-7 Summit. He hailed the free trade agreement (FTA) signed between the two sides last year.

"Had a wonderful meeting with PM Keir Starmer in Evian. The last year has been outstanding as far as India-UK relations are concerned. The trade deal has opened many avenues of economic cooperation. Today’s talks focused on how to add even more momentum to India-UK ties," PM Modi posted on X.

In another post on the same thread, he added, "We discussed ways to work closely in areas like innovation, AI, skill development, sports and more. We also discussed how to increase investment linkages for the benefit of the people of our nations."

PM CALLS UAE LEADER HIS 'BROTHER'

Besides Carney and Starmer, PM Modi also met with the United Arab Emirates' President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, whom the prime minister referred to as his "brother."

He said that the interaction with the Gulf leader focused on how to strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and the UAE.

"I held a highly fruitful meeting with my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, where we discussed India-UAE relations across various sectors and ways to strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership," PM Modi wrote in a post on X.

He also said that he thanked the UAE President for the attention and care that the Indian expatriate community in his nation receives.

- Ends

(With inputs from agencies)