Rio de Janeiro, Nov 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of significant bilateral meetings with several world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

"It is always a matter of immense joy to meet my friend, President Emmanuel Macron. Complimented him on the successful hosting of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics earlier this year," PM Modi posted on X after meeting Macron.

"We talked about how India and France will keep working closely in sectors like space, energy, AI and other such futuristic areas. Our nations will also work closely to enhance people-to-people linkages," he added.

PM Modi said his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was "extremely productive".

"For India, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the UK is of immense priority. In the coming years, we are eager to work closely in areas such as technology, green energy, security, innovation and technology. We also want to add strength to trade as well as cultural linkages," he stated

Prime Minister Modi's talks with Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni focused on enhancing the partnership between New Delhi and Rome in several important sectors.

"Glad to have met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the Rio de Janeiro G20 Summit. Our talks centred around deepening ties in defence, security, trade and technology. We also talked about how to boost cooperation in culture, education and other such areas. India-Italy friendship can greatly contribute to a better planet," the PM detailed.

PM Modi's talks with the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store explored common interests of free trade.

"The meeting with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was excellent. Our Arctic Policy has led to further cementing of India-Norway bilateral relations. We talked about how investment linkages between our nations can improve, particularly in renewable energy, green hydrogen and the blue economy. Closer cooperation in sectors like innovation and research were also discussed," he said.

Store, while responding to PM Modi's post, highlighted that, with the new EFTA-India Free Trade Agreement, there are new possibilities for cooperation and job creation between both countries.

The two leaders also discussed the war in Ukraine and the current crisis in the Middle East.

Earlier, PM Modi also held meetings with the Portugal PM and the Indonesian President.

"Had a very good meeting with Prime Minister of Portugal, Mr. Luís Montenegro. India cherishes the long-standing ties with Portugal. Our talks focussed on adding more vigour to our economic linkages. Sectors like renewable energy and green hydrogen offer many opportunities for more collaboration. We also talked about strong defence relations, people-to-people linkages and other such subjects," remarked Prime Minister Modi.

The meeting with the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, he said, focussed on improving ties in commerce, security, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and more.

"This year is special as we are marking 75 years of India-Indonesia diplomatic relations," stated PM Modi.

--IANS

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