New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at G7 Summit that democracy and freedom are part of India's ethos. He emphasised the need to ensure that cyberspace remains a tool to promote democratic values instead of subverting them.
His statements are coming out amid the ongoing debate over alleged efforts to curb free speech. He added that open societies are vulnerable to misinformation, commercial data theft, and cyber-attacks.
He called on tech and social media companies to make the cyber environment safe for users.
As the lead speaker, he used his outreach session at G7 Summit to advocate global solidarity and open democratic societies. India with countries like the Republic of Korea and South Africa released a joint statement reaffirming the belief in democracy and multilateralism.
The session 'Building Back Together - Open Societies and Economies' emphasised how solidarity and democracy can tackle complex challenges like health, climate change, and economic recovery. The outreach sessions are to reaffirm the need to embrace values - like respect for international rules and norms - that bind the world population together.
PM Modi called India a natural ally to the G7 in defending shared values from threats like authoritarianism, terrorism, and violent extremism, misinformation, infodemics, and economic coercion. The G7 leaders reportedly emphasised the commitments to a free, open, and rules-based collaboration with partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
In another session on climate change, the Prime Minister highlighted that India is the only G-20 country on track to meet Paris commitments. He also mentioned Indian Railways' commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
He said that Earth's atmosphere, biodiversity, and oceans cannot be protected if countries conflict with each other. He called for collective action to deal with the climate crisis.