PM holds bilateral with Angela Merkel, French Prez Macron invites them to India

New Delhi: During his stay in Rome for the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of crucial bilateral engagements with world leaders, including German leader Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. He also invited both the leaders to visit India.

Ms Merkel has been the first female Chancellor of Germany, and she has announced that she would not seek a fifth term as Chancellor in the federal election. "The Prime Minister conveyed best wishes to Dr Merkel for the future and invited her to visit India," an MEA statement said.

In his bilateral meeting with President of Indonesia Joko Widodo, Mr Modi congratulated Indonesia for its G20 Presidency next year and assured him of India's readiness to work closely with it. Both leaders held discussions on the recent course of India-Indonesia's Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They also emphasized the importance of Indo-Pacific cooperation.

The Prime Minister met Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome on Sunday. The two leaders welcomed the growing bilateral trade and investment linkages, including the recent signing of the contract to procure 56 C295 aircraft from Airbus Spain, 40 of which will be 'Made in India' in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems, the MEA said. PM Modi invited Spain to invest in various sectors, including Green Hydrogen, infrastructure and defence manufacturing.

Earlier on Saturday, Oct 30, Mr Modi held a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The Prime Minister also welcomed the European Union's Indo-Pacific Strategy, released in September 2021, and thanked the French President for France's leadership role in the same. Both Modi and Macron share a good personal rapport. Mr Modi invited President Macron to visit India at the earliest opportunity.

There was a bilateral meeting between Mr Modi and his Singapore counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong. This was their first in-person meeting in the post-pandemic period. Both leaders discussed global efforts to combat climate change and the forthcoming COP26. They also discussed ongoing efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic through expedited vaccination efforts. Prime Minister Lee congratulated Mr Modi for the rapid vaccination drive in India. "They also discussed ways to enhance people to people ties, including early normalization of movement between both countries," the MEA said.