Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday left for his six-day four-nation tour to Germany, Spain, Russia and France with an aim to boost "India's economic engagement" with the four nations and also "to invite more investment to India" from these countries.
PM Modi will hold talks with the leaders of the four nations — German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish President Mariano Rajoy, Russian President Vladimir Putin and newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron.
PM Modi announced his four-nation tour to these European countries on Twitter on Sunday.
Tomorrow I will begin a four nation visit to Germany, Spain, Russia & France, where I will join various programmes.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 28, 2017
The prime minister, in a series of posts on Facebook, spoke in detail about his agenda in connection with his visit to the four nations.
Germany
PM Modi's first stop will be in Germany's Berlin on May 29 where he is slated to hold talks of regional and global importance with Chancellor Merkel.
On May 30, both Modi and Merkel will hold the fourth India-Germany Intergovernmental Consultations which allows for a comprehensive review of the bilateral relations between both countries and also provides a platform to identify fresh areas of engagement.
He described Germany as "valuable partner" and said that Merkel and he will "chart out a future roadmap of cooperation with focus on trade and investment, security and counter-terrorism, innovation and science and technology, skill development, urban infrastructure, railways and civil aviation, clean energy, development cooperation, health and alternative medicine."
Both leaders will also meet top businessmen from both countries with the aim of further strengthening trade and investment ties.
PM Modi is also slated to meet German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during his visit.
Spain
On May 30, PM Modi will visit Spain where he will call on King Felipe VI and also meet Spanish President Mariano Rajoy to "discuss ways to enhance bilateral engagement, especially in the economic sphere, and cooperation on international issues of common concern, particularly in combating terrorism."
This will be Modi's first visit to Spain after becoming prime minister and also the first by an Indian prime minister in nearly three decades.
"We seek active participation of Spanish industry in various Indian projects including infrastructure, smart cities, digital economy, renewable energy, defence and tourism," he wrote in a Facebook post.
PM Modi will also meet "top CEOs of Spanish industry and encourage them to partner with us in our 'Make in India' Initiative."
Russia
After his visit to Spain, PM Modi will be in Russia's St. Petersburg from May 31 to June 2 to attend the 18th India-Russia Annual Summit. He will also hold talks with President Putin "to take forward our dialogue from the last Summit in Goa in October 2016."
Both Modi and Putin will hold discussions with top CEOs from Russia and India. They will also address the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 2 where India is the 'guest country'.
"I will also have the opportunity to engage with Governors from various Russian regions to further broad base bilateral cooperation and more actively involve States/Regions and other diversified stakeholders," PM Modi said.
PM Modi will also visit Piskarovskoye Cemetery to pay tribute to those who died during the siege of Leningrad.
France
PM Modi's last stop will be France where he will meet newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron to "have discussions on issues of mutual interest."
Describing France as "one of our most important strategic partners," Modi said that he would hold talks with Macron "on important global issues including UN Security Council reforms and India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council, India's membership of the various multilateral export control regimes, counter-terrorism cooperation, collaboration on climate change and International Solar Alliance."
"France is our 9th largest investment partner and a key partner in our development initiatives in the area of defence, space, nuclear and renewable energy, urban development and railways," PM Modi added.
