Prime Minister Narendra Modi has canceled his visit to the UK to attend the G7 Summit as a special invitee because of the Covid-19 situation in the country, the external affairs ministry announced on Tuesday.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had welcomed Modi, as well as the leaders of Australia, South Korea, and South Africa, to the G7 Summit in Cornwall, which will take place from June 11 to 13. This would have been Modi’s second international trip this year, after a trip to Bangladesh in March to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence.
“While appreciating the invitation to the prime minister by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to attend the G7 Summit as a special invitee, given the prevailing Covid situation, it has been decided that the prime minister will not attend the G7 Summit in person,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
The announcement came just days after Modi cancelled a scheduled trip to Porto, Portugal, to attend the India-EU Summit on May 8. Following that, the conference was held virtually.
S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister, had travelled to the United Kingdom to attend the G7 foreign ministers conference in London from May 3-5, but he and his delegation were forced to go into self-isolation after two of their representatives tested positive for Covid-19.
On May 4, Modi and Johnson hosted a virtual summit in which they announced the announcement of an Enhanced Trade Partnership and a Mobility and Migration Partnership, as well as a 10-year plan to strengthen bilateral relations.
India has the highest daily rate of new Covid infections and deaths in the world. For nearly three weeks, the number of cases per day has exceeded 3 lakh.
In the UK, on the other hand, the virus ban has been lifted, allowing residents to hug nearby relatives and friends and gather indoors at bars, restaurants, and cinemas from next week.
