PM Modi arrives in UK for COP26 summit, bilateral talks with Johnson

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Glasgow on Sunday for the COP26 climate summit and bilateral talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) meet.

“Leaving for Glasgow after a fruitful G20 Summit in Rome. During the Summit, we were able to have elaborate deliberations on issues of global importance such as fighting the pandemic, improving health infrastructure, boosting economic cooperation and furthering innovation,”
Modi said on Twitter.

Upon his arrival at his hotel in Glasgow, the Prime Minister was received by a large group of Indian diaspora representatives who chanted “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”.

“Leaving for Glasgow after a fruitful G20 Summit in Rome. During the Summit, we were able to have elaborate deliberations on issues of global importance such as fighting the pandemic, improving health infrastructure, boosting economic cooperation and furthering innovation,” Modi said in an earlier tweet.

According to a report in news agency PTI, PM Modi will begin the day with a meeting with community leaders and Indologists based in Scotland. He will then proceed for the opening ceremony of the World Leaders’ Summit (WLS) at the 26th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, where he is also scheduled to address the summit plenary session.

Following this, Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Boris Johnson. Johnson has said the summit will be the “world’s moment of truth” and has urged world leaders to make the most of it. “The question everyone is asking is whether we seize this moment or let it slip away,” he said ahead of the two-week conference.

According to the PTI report, talks between PM Modi and Johnson are expected to centre on the UK-India climate partnership as well as a stock-take of the 2030 Roadmap for stronger UK-India Strategic Partnership – signed by the two leaders during a virtual summit in May this year.

“Both governments remain committed to the implementation of the Roadmap, within prescribed timelines. Accordingly, we are looking to launch negotiations in November 2021 for an Interim Agreement to be signed in March 2022 and eventually a comprehensive agreement, if all goes according to schedule, by November 2022,” India’s high commissioner to the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar, earlier said.

The next thing on Modi’s agenda will be a leader-level COP26 event entitled Action and Solidarity: The Critical Decade. During the event, Modi will deliver India’s national statement on the country’s climate action to the delegates.

“India is among the top countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy, wind and solar energy capacity. At the WLS, I will share India’s excellent track record on climate action and our achievements,” Modi said in a statement ahead of the summit.

“I will also highlight the need to comprehensively address climate change issues including equitable distribution of carbon space, support for mitigation and adaptation and resilience-building measures, mobilisation of finance, technology transfer and importance of sustainable lifestyles for green and inclusive growth,” he said.

After the World Leaders’ Summit, PM Modi will on Monday also join over 120 heads of government and heads of states at a special VVIP reception at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, are expected to be present at the reception.

Tuesday will mark the last day of Modi’s visit to the UK. He is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders of Switzerland, Finland, Israel, Nepal, Malawi, Ukraine, Japan and Argentina, as well as a meeting with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.