India invited to Group of 7 (G-7) industrialized nations summit

India is officially invited to Group of 7 (G-7) industrialized nations summit along with Australia, Chile and South Africa. The summit is scheduled to be held in Biarritz, France in August 24-25, 2019. According to analysts, the invitation clearly reflects the strong strategic connect between India and France. And also, the invitation to Australia, France and Chile besides India reflects the French emphasis on the Indian Ocean and the Pacific region. The G-7 groups together the US, Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Japan and Germany. This is not first time that India will be present at this exclusive club. In 2005, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had attended the G-8 +5 meet in Gleneagles in Scotland at the invitation of then British prime minister Tony Blair.