PM gets G7 Summit invite from Canadian counterpart, says looking forward to meet

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his confirmed attendance at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, after receiving an invitation from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said, “Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister Mark J Carney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month.”

This will mark the first formal meeting between Modi and Carney since Carney took office following a strong win in Canada’s federal elections. The news arrives as speculation swirls about PM Modi potentially avoiding the summit due to strained relations between India and Canada. Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs indicated on two occasions that there was “no information” regarding PM Modi’s trip to Canada for the G7 summit.

The G7 is an informal assembly of the world’s most industrialized economies: France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Japan, the USA, and Canada. The European Union (EU), the IMF, the World Bank, and the United Nations are also invited to attend.

The relations between the two nations deteriorated after the assassination of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The incident attracted worldwide attention after former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that the Narendra Modi administration was connected to it. India strongly rejected Trudeau’s allegations, describing them as “unfounded.”