Japanese, Indian PMs Kick Off European Tours
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched down in France to kick off a six-day sweep across the continent, his government confirmed in an official statement.
In the opening leg of his tour, Modi is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday in Nice, where the two leaders will "review the full spectrum" of bilateral relationships, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs.
The second leg will take Modi to Slovakia for a state visit from June 14–16 — a historic first, marking the inaugural trip by an Indian prime minister to the country since it gained independence in 1993, the ministry noted.
Modi will also attend the G7 summit in France next week, with his ministry stating that the broader European tour "will further deepen India's partnership with France, Slovakia, and the G7."
Reflecting on the significance of the trip, Modi said Saturday that the visit "will reinforce India's deepening engagement with both Europe and the G7, and showcase our steadfast commitment to expanding the horizon of our partnerships with the continent and beyond."
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi launched her own European itinerary, beginning with stops in the United Kingdom and Italy before heading to France for the G7 summit.
Writing on US social media platform X, Takaichi outlined her agenda, stating: "In the United Kingdom and Italy, I will discuss with Prime Minister (Keir) Starmer and Prime Minister (Giorgia) Meloni issues such as the situation in East Asia, the Middle East and Ukraine."
Takaichi added that her bilateral meetings would also cover deepening cooperation across a range of emerging and strategic sectors, including security, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, space, semiconductors, and offshore wind energy.
Ahead of her debut appearance at a G7 summit, Takaichi signalled that Japan would push for tighter multilateral coordination on energy security, free trade, and supply chain resilience — including concrete proposals to counter export restrictions, bolster oil stockpiles, and deepen collaboration on critical minerals among G7 members.
She also confirmed she would raise Middle East, Ukraine, and Indo-Pacific issues on the G7 stage.
The summit is scheduled to take place in France from June 15–17.
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