By ANI
ROME: Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed from the Vatican City after his meeting with Pope Francis on Saturday ahead of the Group of 20 (G20) Summit.
PM Modi was accompanied by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar.
The Vatican is a city-state surrounded by Rome and is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.
Had a very warm meeting with Pope Francis. I had the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with him and also invited him to visit India. @Pontifex pic.twitter.com/QP0If1uJAC
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 30, 2021
Prime Minister arrived in Italy on Friday to participate in the two-day G20 Summit. This summit will be the eighth G20 Summit attended by the Prime Minister.
PM Modi will participate in the G20 opening session on Global Economy and Global Health.
He is also scheduled to have a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and a meeting with the President of Indonesia Joko Widodo. PM Modi is expected to have a meeting with Singapore PM Lee Hosein Loong as well.
In the evening, PM is scheduled to arrive at Terme di Diocleziano for a cultural programme. Later, there is a dinner planned for G20 leaders and partner countries.
While briefing about the Prime Minister’s engagements in Italy, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday said that PM Modi will discuss the global economic situation, COVID-19 pandemic, sustainable development and climate change with G20 leaders.
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.
Prime Minister also interacted with members of the Indian community-based in Italy and those who have a close association with India through spheres like academics.
PM Modi will be in the capital city of Italy till October 31.
