Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday embark on a six-day visit to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia to attend three key multilateral summits including that of the Group of Seven (G7) and the Quad, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Tuesday.
In the first leg of his trip, Modi will visit the Japanese city of Hiroshima from May 19 to 21 for the annual summit of the G7 advanced economies in which he is expected to speak on challenges facing the globe including food, fertiliser and energy security.
From Japan, Modi will travel to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea where he will host the third summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) on May 22 jointly with Prime Minister James Marape.
It will be the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Papua New Guinea.
Launched in 2014, FIPIC involves India and 14 Pacific Island countries -- Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Samoa, Vanuatu, Niue, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, Cook Islands, Palau, Nauru and Solomon Islands.
In the third and final leg of the trip, Modi will visit Sydney from May 22 to 24 to attend the Quad summit.
The Quad summit, being hosted by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, will also be joined by US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.
On Modi's visit to Japan, the MEA said he is travelling to that country at the invitation of Kishida. Japan is hosting the G7 summit in its capacity as the current chair of the G7.
"During the summit, the prime minister will speak at G7 sessions with partner countries, on subjects such as peace, stability & prosperity of a sustainable planet; food, fertiliser and energy security; health; gender equality; climate change and environment; resilient infrastructure; and development cooperation," the MEA said in a statement.
It said Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with Kishida. He will also hold bilateral meetings with some of the other participating leaders on the side-lines of the summit, it said.
In Papua New Guinea too, Modi will have bilateral engagements including meetings with Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae and Prime Minister James Marape, according to the MEA.
It said the Quad summit will provide an opportunity for the leaders of the coalition to exchange views about developments in the Indo-Pacific region and advance their vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
"Quad partners are deeply invested in the success of the Indo-Pacific. Leveraging our collective strengths helps Australia advance its interests and more effectively respond to the region's needs," Albanese said last month.
During his visit to Australia, Modi will have a bilateral meeting with Albanese on May 24.
The prime minister will also interact with Australian CEOs and business leaders, and address the Indian diaspora at a community event in Sydney on May 23, the MEA said.
-With PTI Input
