Zee Media Bureau/ Deepak Nagpal
New Delhi: Narendra Modi, who once faced visa ban from several countries over his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, is today one of the most sought-after world leaders – that too in just over 10 days into office.
As per Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson, the Ministry of External Affairs, Modi has received invite from a number of world leaders.
Speaking to the press, Akbaruddin said, "The inbox of the Prime Minister is pretty crowded. Multilateral visits from BRICS, UNGA, E Asia, ASEAN, SAARC, G20 are on agenda."
Modi will be going to Bhutan later this month on his first international stop. He has already accepted an invite from US President Barack Obama to visit the United States in September – that visit will coincide with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
In July, the MEA announced today, Modi will travel to Japan at the invitation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Interestingly, Modi is one of only three persons who Abe follows on Twitter.
Also in July, the Prime Minister will be away to attend the BRICS summit. Later on, he has Oceana cross-country meet (October) and G-20 summit (November) on his calendar.
According to the MEA, Modi is also likely to visit Nepal in November to attend the SAARC summit.
"PM`s Bhutan visit will happen later this month. All dates speculated by media are incorrect. We are still exploring the dates," Akbaruddin said, as per a news website.
He also clarified that dates for the PM`s US visit have not been finalised as yet.
"Obama had extended an invitation to Modi. We have received a particular date for the PM. We are trying to figure out date which is comfortable for both the countries. However, his visit will take place in September," the spokesperson stated.
"We have received an invitation from Japan as well. I am talking to my counterpart to fix particular dates. He may visit Japan in July. We will also be interacting with strategic partners at multilateral meetings," he said.
While stating that for PM Modi neighbourhood is a policy priority, the spokesperson informed that visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will call on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday.
"He has asked to meet the PM. We will try to arrange all meetings on Sunday as Monday has major parliamentary events," Akbaruddin said.
