Can PM Narendra Modi Redeem India’s Status As Defender Of Global South At G7 Meet In France?

By Nitya Chakraborty

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be taking part in the outreach session of the 52nd meeting of G7 being held in Evans of France hosted by the French President Emanuel Macron. Already the main session started on Monday with the participation of the leaders of the seven nations. The main task of G7 at the moment is to retain the tottering alliance defying the thrusts by both President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Simone Takaichi.

As far as Indian PM is concerned, he had already had bilateral talks with the French President at Nice on Sunday agreeing to further strengthening their strategic partnership in a range of areas including defence, civil nuclear cooperation, trade and technology. What was significant was the resolve to double the India-France trade in five years.

It is a fact that Narendra Modi and Macron have been able to establish an excellent rapport in political as also economic matters. France has special interests in selling its Rafale and other defence equipment to the burgeoning Indian market. It suits India also as the country, now the big purchaser of arms in the international market India can choose options withstanding pressures from both USA and Russia.

Indian officials underline that French President as the host of the G7 summit is giving special importance to the Indian PM among outreach nations and PM is expected to make use of the occasion in his address and interactions on championing the Global South, advancing strategic partnerships and addressing geopolitical conflicts in West Asia. Indian PM is also expected to emphasise on better global governance and cooperation among the nations on the applicability and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The G7 Summit under the French Presidency has chosen some key priorities for the current year. These are reducing excessive macro economic imbalances, and fostering shared growth, renewing international partnerships and development solidarities, strengthening the resilience of critical mineral value chains, protecting minors online, and settling major geopolitical crises.

On the sidelines of the Summit, the Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings and discussions with G7 countries, partner countries and international organisations. Some of the countries invited for the Summit include South Korea, Kenya, Brazil and Egypt as partner countries. Other invited international organisations include the World Bank, African Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, and OECD.

The major issue for India is whether PM Modi holds bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit on June 16 or 17. The White House has confirmed the bilateral meeting though as of now, Indian foreign ministry has not confirmed. If finally the meeting takes place, Prime Minister has to take up with Trump the issue of killing of three Indian sailors by the US navy last week. It was unprovoked and worse, Trump tried to pass the buck on the Iranians while even the US navy was clear that they shot.

The nature of India-US relations is such that at the last week talks between external affairs minister Dr. Jaishankar and the US state secretary Marco Rubio, Rubio virtually threatened India and said that US would not tolerate any violations of US blockade. Firstly the US blockade of Iranian ports was illegal and secondly, the US side knew that the ship had Indian sailors. Still the missiles were fired and the deaths of the Indians took place. What type of India-US strategic relations is this?

PM Modi has to demand apology from the US government for the death of the sailors in his meeting with Trump, if the bilateral meeting takes place. It is no use talking of strategic autonomy and defender of Global South at meetings, it has to be proven on the ground. BY strongly conveying India’s reaction on the US killings of Indian sailors, Indian PM can really serve the cause of Global South.

India’s stature has gone down in the last one and half years after the assumption of Trump in power for the second time. The other countries of South including Mexico, South Africa and Brazil see India as a sort of partner with USA in its strategic objectives. This impression has to be removed. That India can do by taking a principled position on issues against the USA. It will be seen whether Narendra Modi really speaks for Global South agenda at the outreach sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

While the other Global South countries will carefully observe Indian Pm’s performance in the outreach session of G 7, the main G7 sessions are expected to be stormy on the issues of Ukraine war as also on the US-Iran peace deal draft which will be signed on Friday. The European countries feel that Trump is giving concessions to Tehran without getting full guarantee on nuclear facilities non-use.

At the economic level, G7 countries are widely facing sluggish economic growth, rising debt levels, declining industrial competitiveness, deepening social fragmentation, and increasing pressures from population aging. However, frictions among its member states persist, with trust in the US among European countries falling to a historic low. As a result, the G7 members themselves struggle to form a shared consensus, let alone prescribe appropriate remedies..It is still not clear whether the G7 member nations will be able to come out with a joint communiqué after sorting out their internal differences.

For India and its PM Narendra Modi, the focus should be on strengthening Global South and not hobnobbing with G7 without meaningful benefits. Today, countries of the Global South, with their vast populations, expansive markets, and strong development potential, have become the major force of promoting global growth. Against this backdrop, a group accounting for less than 10 percent of the world’s population and whose share of the global GDP continues to decline, is seeking to impose rules on others. The 21 st century is the era of Global South including India. PM Narendra Modi should better finetune the country’s foreign policy in that direction. (IPA Service)