Trump Extends Invitation To India's Modi To Attend G7 Summit In September - New Delhi

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2020) US President Donald Trump has extended an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend an upcoming G7 summit in September, India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release on Tuesday after the two leaders held telephone talks.

"President Trump spoke about the US Presidency of the Group of Seven, and conveyed his desire to expand the ambit of the grouping beyond the existing membership, to include other important countries including India. In this context, he extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to attend the next G-7 Summit to be held in USA," the press release read.

In turn, Modi said that expanding the number of member states in the organization will be particularly helpful for harmonizing efforts to combat the ongoing coronavirus disease outbreak.

The Indian prime minister also expressed his concern over the ongoing public unrest that has swept across the United States after the death of George Floyd, an African-American male, in the custody of Minneapolis police, the ministry said.

Additionally, Trump and Modi discussed the need for reforms to be made to the World Health Organization and the ongoing situation on the border between India and China after reports of armed clashes.

On Sunday, the US president said that the current G7 format was outdated and announced plans to invite the leaders of India, Russia, Australia, and South Korea to the next summit, which was initially meant to be held in June but has since been postponed to September in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.