Jaishankar meets French President Macron on sidelines of G7 Summit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of theG7 Foreign Ministers' Summit here and said he valued the discussion and his many insights.

The external affairs minister paid a formal visit to President Macron on Friday.

"An honour to call on the President @EmmanuelMacron of France last night," Jaishankar said in a social media post on Saturday.

The external affairs minister said he conveyed the warm greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Value the discussion and his many insights," Jaishankar added.

He arrived in Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay in France on Thursday to participate in the two-day G7 foreign ministers' meeting with partner countries.

 

While India is not a G7 member, it has been invited as a partner country by France, the current chair of the powerful bloc.

In an address at a G7 foreign ministers' meeting in France on Thursday, Jaishankar flagged the concerns of Global South nations over energy, food, and fuel security, while underlining the urgent need for global governance reforms.

The external affairs minister also spoke about the importance of resilient trade corridors and supply chains against the backdrop of the uncertainties arising from the conflict in West Asia.

On the margins of the G7 meeting, Jaishankar held separate conversations with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Saudia Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. It is understood that the West Asia crisis figured prominently in the conversations.

Jaishankar also met Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Japan Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.

The Group of 7 (G7) brings together seven of the world's most advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union is also a member of the bloc.

Besides India, France has invited Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Brazil.

The G7 serves as the forum of choice for its members to discuss and coordinate action in response to major economic, financial and geopolitical challenges on the global stage.