Is India's Absence from the G7 Summit a Diplomatic Misstep?
Congress Critiques India's Exclusion from G7 Summit
New Delhi: The Congress party expressed its discontent on Tuesday regarding India's non-invitation to the upcoming G7 summit in Canada, labeling it as a significant diplomatic error. This follows what they termed a 'blunder' involving the US's role in mediating discussions between India and Pakistan.
The G7 summit, scheduled from June 15 to 17 in Alberta, Canada, aims to address critical global issues, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and developments in West Asia. Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to miss this summit, marking the first time in six years that he will not participate, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Reports indicate that Canada has yet to extend an invitation to Modi, although it seems he would have opted out regardless, given the complexities of current diplomatic relations between India and Canada.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress's general secretary for communications, highlighted that the summit will feature leaders from the USA, France, the UK, Japan, Italy, Canada, and Germany, along with invited representatives from Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Ukraine, and Australia.
Ramesh reminisced about the past when India was included in G8 summits before 2014, where former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's contributions were acknowledged. He pointed out that Singh's presence at the G8 summit in Germany in 2007 led to significant climate change negotiations.
He emphasized that the tradition of inviting Indian Prime Ministers continued until now, but for the first time in six years, India, referred to as 'Vishwaguru', will not be represented at the summit. Ramesh criticized the situation as another diplomatic failure, following the US's influence in altering longstanding Indian foreign policy regarding Pakistan.
Relations between India and Canada have deteriorated significantly since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in 2023 concerning a potential Indian connection to the assassination of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.