New Delhi/Rome, Oct 29 (IANS) A day ahead of the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday kickstarted his official engagements in Rome with "a productive interaction" with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Modi reached Rome on Friday morning where he will join other G20 leaders in discussions on global economic and health recovery from the pandemic, sustainable development, and climate change in the first in-person summit of the G20 since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020.
His first official engagement was with the top leaders of the European Commission. Soon after the meeting was over, he tweeted: "We had wide ranging talks on deepening the India-EU friendship, particularly in areas such as trade, commerce, culture and environment."
Stating that India has a key role to play in the green transition, Michel said: "We discussed global health and fighting the pandemic, the strong EU-India Strategic Partnership, the situation in Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific."
Leyen tweeted: "Our EU-India strategic agenda is on the right track. We agreed that our trade negotiators will start to work. We'll deepen our cooperation on climate, including on innovation and technology."
Looking forward to cooperating in the Indo-Pacific EU Global Gateway, she said.
The PMO handle said: "The leaders discussed ways to enhance economic as well as people-to-people linkages aimed at creating a better planet."
Modi paid floral tributes at the bust of Mahatma Gandhi and also met members of the Indian community that extended a warm welcome to him with sloganeering and placard displays.
Earlier in the morning here, the Prime Minister was received by senior Italian officials and the Indian Ambassador in Italy, a release from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in New Delhi.
Modi is on a visit to Rome and the Vatican City from Friday till October 31 at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
On the sidelines of the G20 Summit, Modi will also be meeting with leaders of other partner countries and review the progress in bilateral relations.
The G20 began a consultation forum between Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the world's major economies. Following the 2008 economic crisis, it became a forum between heads of state and government, aimed at improving coordination on the main global issues.
During his visit to Italy, Modi will also visit the Vatican City, to call on Pope Francis and meet Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General M.M. Naravane, reached Kashmir on Wednesday on a two-day visit to review the prevailing security situation in the Union Territory (UT), the army said in a statement.
"There have been several unfounded media reports that have peddled misinformation among the masses regarding this exercise of national importance," a ministry statement said, adding that the total number of Covid vaccine doses administered in the country so far stand at 21,85,46,667.
The Congress said that it was "appropriate for our initial statement to note that the intrusion by Israeli forces into the Holy Al Aqsa mosque during Ramzan prayers had ruptured the delicate peace in the region".
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday suggested the young patients should be prioritised in the distribution of Liposomal Amphotericin B drug, used for treating black fungus, "as they hold promise of future over the older ones who have lived their lives".
Giving information about the cases of black fungus, Kejriwal said nearly 944 cases of black fungus have been reported in Delhi, of these nearly 300 patients are being treated in various Central government-run hospitals here.
