Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed world leaders with a ‘namaste’—the traditional Indian greeting with folded hands—at the G7 Summit, earning widespread praise on social media. Videos of Meloni greeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with this gesture have gone viral, with netizens lauding her respectful and inclusive approach.
The 50th G7 Summit, hosted by Italy, is taking place in Borgo Egnazia (Fasano) in the city of Apulia, southern Italy, from June 13 to 15. The discussions are primarily focused on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict. The G7 comprises the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, and Japan.
On the first day of the Summit, key leaders including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida joined Meloni. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to participate in a session regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Italy late Thursday night—marking his first foreign visit since being re-elected for a third consecutive term following the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA’s victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Modi will participate in the G7 outreach session on Friday, alongside leaders from Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia, and Turkey. He is expected to hold bilateral talks on various issues with leaders including Giorgia Meloni, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Fumio Kishida, and Olaf Scholz. There is also speculation about a potential interaction with Zelensky, although this has not been confirmed.
