NEW DELHI: Germany will extend a formal invitation to India to attend the G7 summit as a guest, sources in the German embassy confirmed to The New Indian.
There were speculations that India may not be part of the summit to be hosted by Germany at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps in June this year.
Since Russia launched a military attack on Ukraine on February 24, India has been calling for settlement of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, and immediate cessation of violation. It has, however, abstained from vote against Russia in multiple forums of the United Nations.
Reacting to the reports, an official source familiar with the matter said, “It is wrong.”
“German government circles said about a report that stated that Germany considers not inviting India for G7 because of its position concerning Russia’s war in Ukraine. Government Spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said Berlin would present its list of guest attendees as soon as it is finalized,” sources said.
G7 or Group of Seven is an elite forum consisting of the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Italy was formed in 1975. From time to time, there have been calls to include more countries including India to the group. During his tenure, then US President Donald Trump once said the G7 should be expanded to give membership to four other nations – India, Australia, South Korea and Russia.
In 2019, India attended the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France as a special invitee.
Earlier this month, Security and Foreign Policy Advisor to the German Chancellor Dr. Jens Plotner met National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval in New Delhi to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
Germany, which is the one of the largest consumer of Russia energy supplies, has been a staunch critic of Russia since the invasion and has supplied arms and ammunition to Ukraine.
The G7 leaders have decided to extend trade export bans on advanced goods and specific services important to Russia’s security, state, and economy. The group will hike import restrictions on a wide range of products that fetch bulky revenue to the Kremlin.
In a joint statement, the G7 states have decided to delink the Russian banks from the international financial system. All the G7 states will reduce dependency on Russia to the lowest level, they said a week ago.