Deepali Kalia –
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 13th at the G7 Summit advocated for global solidarity and open democratic societies in order to tackle issues like health, climate change, and economic recovery.
This year other than the main members of the group, countries like India, Republic of Korea and South Africa were also included in the Summit.
On 13th June, the second day of the Summit, Prime Minister Modi virtually participated in 2 sessions.
During the session ‘Building Back Together – Open Societies and Economies’, he as the lead speaker stated that democracy and freedom were integral part of India’s civilisational ethos.
It was also emphasized by him that cyberspace should continue to be an avenue for promoting democratic values and not of subverting it.
The comments made by the Prime Minister came in the middle of a heated and ongoing debate in the country over curbing of free speech.
In the session on climate change Prime Minister Modi called for collection action on climate change stating that planet’s atmosphere, biodiversity and oceans cannot be protected by countries acting alone.
He further stated that India was the only G-20 country on track to meet its Paris commitments.
“As leaders of over half of the world’s population living in democracies, we believe it is imperative that we reaffirm and encourage others to embrace the values that bind us together, including our respect for international rules and norms.” The statement collectively released by the participating nations of the G7 summit stated.
