PM Modi wraps up Italy visit, held crucial meetings on G7 sidelines

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday left for home after concluding his day-long visit to Italy during which he attended the G7 summit and held bilaterals with several world leaders including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron and Pope Francis.

In an address at an Outreach session of the G7 summit in Italy's Apulia region, Modi called for ending the monopoly in technology and said it must be made creative to lay the foundation of an inclusive society.

The prime minister spoke extensively on the importance of ending monopoly in technology with a particular emphasis on artificial intelligence. Modi said India is among the first few countries to formulate a national strategy on artificial intelligence.

On the sidelines of the summit, Modi met US President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Macron, British Prime Minister Sunak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Pope Francis and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida among others.

The meeting with Macron was Modi’s first official bilateral meeting with an international leader since taking charge for his third term as Prime Minister earlier this month.

Besides India, Italy invited leaders from 11 developing countries in Africa, South America and the Indo-Pacific region to attend the G7 Summit.

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