Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was seen greeting global leaders arriving at the G7 Summit with a classic Namaste gesture on Thursday.
Videos of Prime Minister Meloni’s greetings have gone viral on social media. Italy is hosting this year’s G7 Summit which is being held in Borgo Egnazia (Fasano) in the city of Apulia in southern Italy from June 13-15.
Several videos of the gesture have surfaced on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). They show the Italian PM welcoming the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with the traditional Indian way of greeting.
PM Meloni’s Namaste has sparked quite a buzz on social media.
Some of the key agendas for this year’s G7 Summit include the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Hamas War, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and climate change.
The G7 Summit will bring together leaders from the seven member states, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US, along with the President of the European Commission representing the European Union.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Italy’s Apulia late Thursday night since India has been invited as an outreach country. This marks his first trip abroad after assuming office for a third consecutive term as Prime Minister of India.
Leaders from Ukraine, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Algeria, Tunisia, and Mauritania will also be attending the prestigious global summit.