PM Modi to attend G7 Summit, may meet Trump in France

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend next week's G7 Summit in France, as well as a technology conference in Paris, New Delhi's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Modi's attendance is part of a two-nation trip to France and Slovakia, starting Saturday in Nice, where he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.

He then heads to Slovakia on Sunday, where he will meet with Prime Minister Robert Fico, the first visit by an Indian premier since its independence in 1993.


Modi then returns to France to attend the G7 summit in the Alpine lakeside resort of Evian on June 16-17.

The Group of Seven countries are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

US President Donald Trump has confirmed his attendance, and India's foreign ministry said Modi is expected to meet with "several world leaders" on the sidelines, without giving further details.

India and the United States are "about 99 percent" done with the first tranche of a trade deal, New Delhi has said this month.

After the G7 summit, Modi heads to Paris, the foreign ministry said, to attend the VivaTech Summit, Europe's largest technology and startup event.

Modi's visit will "spotlight India as a global hub for innovation, digital transformation and entrepreneurship", the ministry added, saying the trip would support "new partnerships" with Europe.

Last month, Modi wrapped up a multi-nation tour to the the United Arab Emirates and four European countries.

The conflict in the Middle East and knock-on energy supply disruptions has piled pressure on India's economy, with Modi urging Indian citizens to reduce fuel consumption.