Biarritz: From climate change to tender for e-rickshaws to India's membership for the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), dominated the talks when PM Modi sat with world leaders on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France's Biarritz.
Climate change was the focus when PM held talks with UK Prime Minister and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday evening.
UN SG understood India's position on its bid for NSG and said that he is willing to help on the matter when he raised concerns on India's thermal power plants. New Delhi has been focusing on renewable and nuclear energy in a bid to curtail pollution.
"PM referred to UNSG that nuclear power is investment intensive industry and membership to NSG is crucial to building investor confidence" Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said.
PM will address the UNGA in September and will be the keynote speaker at UN Climate Change summit.
During the meeting with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, PM Modi congratulated Johnson on England’s spectacular win in the Third Test of the Ashes. Overall economics dominated the agenda of the meet. "Need to develop partnership.. and access to be to given to talented India in the UK" is what the British PM told PM Modi.
A small team will be set up to enhance the economic alliance between India and London, especially in the backdrop of Brexit. The UK plans to leave the European Union (EU) by the end of October.
PM Modi also met President of Senegal Macky Sall. India has agreed to give 250 solar-powered e-rickshaws to the West African country. President of Senegal told PM a substantial tender will be placed in this regard soon.
PM also attended a dedicated session of G7 Biarritz summit on ‘Biodiversity, Oceans, Climate’ and underlined India’s contribution to addressing reducing biodiversity, climate change, water stress and ocean pollution.
PM Modi was on a three-nation visit --France, UAE, and Bahrain.
