Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday left here on a three-day visit to Japan for attending G-8 summit on whose sidelines he will meet US President George W Bush and discuss progress on the Indo-US nuclear deal. During his stay in Hokkaido island, he will meet leaders of various countries including Russia, Britain, Germany, France and host Japan for bilateral discussions.
Singh will attend a breakfast meeting with the leaders of G-8 and O-5 and issues like global climate change, food crisis and shooting oil prices will come up for review. India is part of O-5 countries also called as Outreach Countries, invited to the G-8 summit. India has been attending the G-8 outreach meetings from 2003.
In a statement on the eve of his departure, the Prime Minister said that at the forthcoming summit, he would present India’s perspectives on a wide range of global issues. "I will, in particular, highlight the impact of the sharp rise in fuel prices on the global economy and the need for joint action by both producing and consuming nations," he said.
Over the years, India’s participation in the G-8/O-5 dialogue process has enabled it to articulate its concerns on a wide range of issues in a forthright manner, on an equal footing, he said. "Today, India’s views are heard with respect, and there is recognition of the fact that solutions to global issues require India’s involvement," the Prime Minister said.
He said he will also participate in the meeting of the Leaders of Major Economies at which the issue of climate change will be discussed. Singh was also looking forward to participating in an informal meeting of the Brazil-Russia-India-China (BRIC) leaders on the sidelines of the summit