From Starmer to Carney: PM Modi holds several bilateral talks on sidelines of G20 Summit in South Africa

On his second day in South Africa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg . While the event is being boycotted by the United States, the prime minister introduced as many as 6 global initiatives in partnership with countries around the world.

On Saturday, PM Modi emphasised that these exchanges reaffirmed a “shared commitment to global progress and prosperity.” The Prime Minister met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, French President Emmanuel Macron, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the day-long interactions at the summit hosted by South Africa.

He also met other leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, before the main session began. “It was wonderful meeting Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Johannesburg. This year has brought new energy to the India–UK partnership, and we will keep driving it forward across many domains,” Modi said in a post on X after he met with Starmer.

The Prime Minister’s meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung was their second this year. PM Modi said it reflected “the strong momentum in our Special Strategic Partnership,” adding that both sides discussed ways to deepen economic and investment linkages.

Following his meeting with Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Modi said India and Brazil would “continue to work closely to boost trade and cultural linkages for the benefit of our people.” He also described his discussion with UN Secretary-General António Guterres as “very productive.” Modi later shared a family photo with fellow G20 leaders, posting, “Together, we reaffirm our shared commitment to global progress and prosperity.”

Trilateral tech alliance with Canada and Australia

One of the key highlights of the Saturday meeting was the prime minister’s announcement of a new trilateral technology and innovation alliance between India, Australia and Canada as he met his counterparts Anthony Albanese and Mark Carney.

“We are delighted to announce an Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership today,” Modi said in a social media post after meeting Albanese and Canada’s Carney.

“The initiative will deepen collaboration between democratic partners across three continents and three oceans in emerging technologies, support diversification of supply chains, clean energy and mass adoption of AI,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government also released a statment after the meeting, noting that the initiatives will draw on the “natural strengths of the three countries” and have an emphasis on green energy innovation and building resilient supply chains, including in critical minerals.

“It will deepen their respective ambition and strategic collaboration towards net zero and drive further diversification of supply chains towards a secure, sustainable, and resilient future. The partnership will also examine the development and mass adoption of artificial intelligence to improve the lives of our citizens," it added. The meeting between PM Modi and Carney also reflected the warming of ties between India and Canada.