G20 Summit: PM Modi to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in Rome; meet the Pope in Vatican

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the capital of Italy, Rome for participating in the G20 summit. Modi is expected to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his first day of arrival in Rome, reported ANI. He is scheduled to arrive in the Italian capital on Friday, 29 October to attend the G20 summit. 

Modi to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi 

Prime Minister Modi will visit Piazza Gandhi in Rome, according to ANI. The Indian Ambassador to Italy, Neena Malhotra, is expected to accompany Modi on his visit to Piazza Gandhi. Sources have revealed that the newly elected Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri will also likely be present at Piazza Gandhi during PM Modi's visit. During his visit for the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Modi is likely to briefly meet a few representatives of the Indian diaspora, ANI reported. 

PM Modi is set to attend his eighth G20 Summit in Rome from October 29 to 31 upon the invitation of Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi. This year, the theme of the G20 meet under the Italian Presidency is woven around 'People, Planet and Prosperity'. The heads of states of G20 member countries, the European Union and other invited countries and other international organisations will be participating in the G20 summit. Last year's summit was convened by Saudi Arabia virtually owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

PM Modi to visit Pope Francis

During the visit, the Prime Minister will be meeting Pope Francis in the Vatican, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla informed in a press briefing on Thursday, 28 October, according to ANI. Shringla added that it is not clear yet that the meeting between Pope Francis and PM Modi "will be one on one or delegation level". On the sidelines of G20 Summit, Narendra Modi is expected to hold a few bilateral meetings with leaders, including the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, according to ANI. Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla in a press briefing, informed that after the G20 Summit, PM Modi is scheduled to attend the COP26 in Glasgow wherein, he is expected to pitch for collective efforts that are needed to be taken to deal with the situation in Afghanistan. 

With inputs from ANI

Image: PIB