PM Modi At G7: Rebuilding International Trust Is Key To Future Partnerships

Evian: Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the G7 platform in Evian, France on Tuesday to raise the issue of Indian seafarers killed in US military strikes during the Middle East conflict. He brought this up while sitting alongside US President Donald Trump at the Outreach Session on Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity. Modi said the conflict had caused serious human and economic damage to countries across the region.

What is the biggest strategic asset?

Modi built his entire address around one idea of Trust. He said the world today is more connected than it has ever been. No country can manage its energy security, food security, health security, cyber security or economic prosperity on its own anymore. All of these now depend on how countries relate to each other.
He said the most important strategic asset in today's world is not a mineral, not a technology and not a market, but the mutual trust. He said partnerships only work when there is confidence and credibility on both sides. Without that, everything else falls apart.
He warned that technology and supply chains must not be turned into weapons. Global institutions must serve all nations, not just a powerful few. Opportunities for development must not stay locked within a small group of countries.

What he mentioned about COVID?

Modi did not spare the international community on its track record. He said the trust built over decades by several generations is now being chipped away. He pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as the moment that exposed just how hollow the claims of global trust and solidarity really were. When the crisis hit, countries found out quickly that the promises made in peacetime meant very little.

What he shared about the India's development model?

Modi spoke about how India approaches development and international partnerships. He invoked the principle of Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya; means welfare and happiness for all. He said India has always seen the world as one family and every policy, domestic or international, flows from that belief. He said development works best when it is tied to what people actually want and need. He also drew a distinction in how India views partnerships. He said the real test of a partnership is not what you build for others but what you enable others to build for themselves.

India's record as first responder?

Modi listed what India has done when other countries faced disasters. During COVID India sent medicines and vaccines to more than 150 countries. When Sri Lanka was hit by a cyclone, India moved to provide assistance. When Afghanistan suffered an earthquake, India responded quickly. Floods in Mozambique, hurricanes in Cuba and Jamaica; India showed up each time. He said India has always operated on the principle of Humanity First.
He also flagged India's global initiatives including the International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Global Biofuel Alliance, Mission LiFE and the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign as examples of India's people-centric approach to global partnerships.

Modi and Trump, side by side?

Earlier in the day Modi and Trump had briefly interacted after the group photograph. A handshake, and a few words exchanged between them. It was their first face-to-face since Modi's Washington visit in February last year. During the outreach session the two leaders sat next to each other. The formal bilateral between the two is scheduled for Wednesday.