PM Narendra Modi returns to India (Source: ANI_News/Twitter) PM Narendra Modi returns to India (Source: ANI_News/Twitter)

After completing two high-profile visits to Israel and Germany, Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to New Delhi on Sunday. During the first leg of his tour, PM Modi signed seven agreements with Israel apart from meeting the Indian diaspora. The bilateral visit was important since he was the first Indian leader to visit the Jewish country.

News agency ANI reported that CEOs of Indian and Israeli businesses signed MoUs worth over $5 billion on the sidelines of the visit. Six Joint Committees covering startups, pharma and life sciences, homeland security, agriculture, energy and water sectors were also set-up.

Following his visit to Israel, Modi reached Hamburg to attend the G-20 summit, where he raised the issue of terrorism in strong words along with other G-20 leaders. On Friday, leaders of the G-20 nations issued a 21-paragraph statement which said in its very first paragraph that “terrorist safe havens” must be eliminated in every part of the world.

“We, the leaders of the G-20, strongly condemn all terrorist attacks worldwide and stand united and firm in the fight against terrorism and its financing. These atrocious acts have strengthened our resolve to cooperate to enhance our security and protect our citizens. Terrorism is a global scourge that must be fought and terrorist safe havens eliminated in every part of the world,” the statement read.

Modi said terrorist groups like LeT, JeM and Haqqani network were affecting South Asia and “some countries use terrorists for achieving their political objectives”– an apparent swipe taken at Pakistan. “G-20 should collectively oppose terrorism financing, franchises, safe havens, support and sponsors,” he said at BRICS informal meet.

Modi also pitched for concrete cooperation among G-20 countries with a focus on cyber security. He also called for attention towards forced migration emphasising on the need for a comprehensive and cooperative policy framework to distinguish legal migration. Praising demonetisation, he also said the move had dealt a “blow to corruption, boosted digitisation and enlarged the formal economy.”

During the G-20 summit, the Indian Premier met world leaders like US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Italian PM Paolo Gentiloni and British PM Theresa May.

In his talks with May, Modi also his British counterpart for cooperation on bringing back to India economic offenders like Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Gopal Baglay, said the PM asked for the UK’s cooperation on return of “escaped Indian economic offenders”.

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