Importance of G 7 international group
(Dr Pentapati Pullarao)
India, through its representative prime minister Narendra Modi attended the G-7 meeting held in Canada. This has caused much sensation since first there was no invitation and then a very warm invitation was given by the Canadian prime Minister. The delayed invitation by Canada caused much controversy in India. India is not a permanent member of the G- 7. India, like many other countries, is an invitee.
Why was G 7 formed?
The Group of Seven (G7) was founded in 1975, as the world faced an enormous oil crisis. The oil producing countries joined together and raised oil prices by 400% at one time. This created a stark economic crisis and the most advanced countries in the world were badly affected. The biggest economies in the world did not produce oil and depended on imported oil from Arab countries.
There was no economic forum for advanced countries to discuss economics. The G-7 was formed in 1975 by Canada, France, Germany, Japan, England, Italy and the United States. Even the World Bank and European Union have only “Observer “status. The chairmanship of G- 7 was rotational and this year, Canada became the rotational chairman.
Russia was added as a member in 1996. But Russia was ejected in 2014, after it invaded Ukraine. Together the economies of G-7 exceed 40% of the total economic production in the world. The G-7 group speaks in one voice and it has great impact. It is a most exclusive club and even China is not a member of G-7. The G-7 countries decided that China is not interested in the welfare of the world and is selfish and uses international agencies selfishly.
Value of attending G- 7 meetings:
The meetings of G- 7 are usually for 3 days. There is an informal air and the leaders of the G- 7 countries and the “Invited countries “all meet over 2 days. The leaders present not only meet together but also meet everyone separately.
These meetings help leaders get to know each other personally and they talk freely. Over time, bonds develop between leaders, and they try to address any concerns raised.
Why did Canada extend warm invitation to India?
For nearly 40 years, India has been facing problems with Canada, due to some Sikh immigrants, who started a Khalistan movement in 1984. Sikhs in Canada got some MPs elected and they pressurize Canadian political parties to take anti-India positions.
Political parties in Canada needed the help of small parties to form governments and they usually agree with Sikh MPs for their support. India broke diplomatic relations with Canada in October 2024, as the then Trudeau government was taking hostile actions against India, on pressure from extremist Sikh MPs.
In May 2025, Canada got a new prime minister Mike Carney. But the new Prime minister could not immediately reverse all the policies of the past Trudeau government. In June 2025, within a month of Mike Carney becoming prime minister, he had to decide whether to invite India or not, with whom diplomatic relations were broken.
The other G- & countries demanded that India be invited and that the G-7 was not Canada’ s’ property and Canada was only a temporary Chairman. The Canadian prime minister anyway wanted to have better relations with India, and he then invited prime Minister Narendra Modi. This came as a big shock to the Sikh extremists in Canada and also many hostile countries like Pakistan and China, who incited the Sikh extremists.
What did India gain from attending G-7 meeting?
- First and foremost, the Canadian prime minister and Narendra Modi met cordially and decided to improve relations and try to solve all problems. This is a major gain for India.
- Operation Sindoor ended on May 9, 2025. This grand meeting was a great chance to explain what India did to the biggest leaders in the world. This is how international opinions form and India got great advantage due to the G-7.
- The warmth with which the other G- 7 leaders greeted Narendra Modi also indicated respect for him and India. This sends signals to all other countries in the world.
- None of India’s troublesome neighbors like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Maldives are invited. This showed that their international ranking is very low, when compared to India. Naturally, all our neighbors feel small and totally jealous. China and Pakistan are particularly un-happy. Jealousy is bad for health.
- The G-7 meeting also gave a great chance to Prime Minister Modi to have a long phone talk with US President Trump. Modi told Trump that India will never agree to any mediation by any outside country over Pakistan. Modi also questioned Trump why he has been making statements, which were un-true. Since that day, Trump has withdrawn some of his remarks. If India was not present at G- 7, Modi would not have had this chance to talk frankly with President Trump.
Continuous diplomacy important:
India got maximum gain due to its presence at G-7. But India’s status depends on our economic strength and should never forget it. It is not enough that India attended the G- 7 meeting. What is more important is that India should maintain relations with every country in the world.
Diplomacy usually achieves more than war. The great Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu said 2500 years ago: The greatest victory is achieved without war “. Only diplomacy can achieve such a victory. The more diplomacy, the better for India the future is always in-secure, and India must prepare for it, as China and Pakistan have been enemies in the last 77 years.
(Author is a political and economic analyst based in New Delhi)