Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited G20 countries to make India their partner in economic recovery and supply chain diversification, said Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Saturday.
Addressing a media briefing from Rome, the Foreign Secretary said that the Prime Minister has brought out the fact that despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, India continued to be a trusted partner in the context of reliable supply chains.
"PM Modi invited G20 countries to make India their partner in economic recovery & supply chain diversification. He also brought out the fact that despite challenges of the pandemic, India continued to be a trusted partner in context of reliable supply chains," Shringla said in Rome.
PM Modi arrived in Italy on Friday to participate in the two-day Summit.
Early on Saturday, world leaders including PM Modi kicked off the first session of the G20 Rome Summit and discussed the global economy and health.
On the sideline of G20, PM Modi interacted with several world leaders including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Among other dignitaries that he was seen greeting included Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
In a series of tweets the Prime Minister's Office shared several pictures of PM Modi meeting and talking to Ghebreyesus, Guterres and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
One photo captures Modi and Ghebreyesus in a namaste and another shows Modi and Lee Hsien greeting each other in a similar namaste.
Other photos shared by the Prime Minister Office shows Modi and Biden walking with arms around each other, PM Modi embracing President Macron. In yet another photo, Modi is seen with Justin Trudeau and Boris Johnson.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi also held separate meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and Pope Francis.
The PM was accompanied by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar.
He presented Pope Francis with a silver candle stand and a book on India's commitment to the environment during their meeting at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
Prime Minister also invited Pope to visit India during a "very warm" meeting at the Vatican City which lasted for an hour.
He also met his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.
The theme of this G20 meet under the Italian Presidency is centred around 'People, Planet and Prosperity.'
On Sunday, the Prime Minister is expected to have a meeting with Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the G20 summit besides participating in discussions on "Climate Change and Environment and Sustainable Development". There will be a global summit on supply chain resilience, according to the sources.
On Friday, PM Modi met with top European Union leaders and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. They congratulated Prime Minister Modi for India's excellent progress on the COVID-19 vaccination. The PM also interacted with members of the Indian community-based in Italy and those who have a close association with India through spheres like academics, spirituality and more.
PM Modi will be in the capital city of Italy till October 31.
( With inputs from ANI )
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