Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held back-to-back bilateral meetings with seven world leaders on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit-2026, underlining India’s expanding diplomatic outreach and its resolve to anchor partnerships in technology, trade and sustainable development.The high-level engagements — spanning Europe, Central Asia and the neighbourhood — centred on artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, energy security and the proposed India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA).During Modi’s meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, the two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of India-Serbia ties and explored cooperation in trade, investment, AI, fintech, education, agriculture and tourism. The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments.India and Serbia share longstanding ties dating back to the Non-Aligned Movement era. New Delhi has consistently supported Serbia’s territorial integrity, while bilateral cooperation has expanded in defence, IT, pharmaceuticals and infrastructure.In a separate meeting, Modi held talks with Croatian PM Andrej Plenković, focusing on AI, information and communication technologies, innovation and clean energy.Both leaders stressed early implementation of the India-EU FTA to boost economic engagement. Modi also highlighted Croatia’s deep interest in Indology, Yoga and Ayurveda.Modi also held “extensive” discussions with Finnish PM Petteri Orpo, and thanked him for backing the India-EU FTA, which he said could herald a “golden era” in India-Europe relations. The two sides set a target of doubling bilateral trade and identified 6G, clean energy, biofuels, innovation and the circular economy as priority areas for collaboration.Earlier, Modi met Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, reviewing defence, security and technology cooperation. The leaders announced that 2026 would be observed as the India-Spain Year of Culture, Tourism and AI to deepen people-to-people and academic exchanges.In talks with Estonian President Alar Karis, the PM lauded Estonia’s advances in digital governance and AI. Both sides discussed accelerating economic engagement, particularly in the context of the India-EU FTA, and enhancing cooperation in futuristic technologies, energy management and skilling.Modi’s meeting with Bhutanese PM Tshering Tobgay focused on harnessing AI for global good, while aligning it with sustainability. The leaders reviewed progress in energy, connectivity, development partnership and people-to-people ties, and agreed to expand collaboration in digital and emerging technologies.The Prime Minister also met Kazakh PM Olzhas Bektenov, noting that the visit would strengthen the India-Kazakhstan Strategic Partnership. Trade, energy, critical minerals, rare earths, defence, connectivity and space were identified as key growth areas.Across the engagements, AI and next-generation technologies emerged as central pillars of India’s diplomatic strategy, reflecting New Delhi’s effort to integrate tech-driven collaboration with broader economic and strategic objectives.The diplomatic flurry at the AI Impact Summit signals India’s ambition to shape the global AI discourse, while simultaneously accelerating trade negotiations and deepening bilateral partnerships across regions.
