PM Modi at G20 Summit LIVE Updates: Excitement About India's G20 Presidency, Says Sunak; Modi Says It Will be Inclusive, Ambitious, Decisive

PM Modi at G20 Summit LIVE Updates: Indonesian President handed over the G20 presidency to PM Modi at the closing ceremony of the Bali Summit. India will officially assume G20 Presidency from 1st December. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s G20 presidency will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented, noting that the country is taking the charge at a time when the world is grappling with geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown and rising food and energy prices.

India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra told reporters that the third session of G20 is underway and India will be handed over presidency of G20 thereafter. Meanwhile, the PM a little while earlier addressed G20’s working session on Digital Transformation and emphasised on India’s growing public digital infrastructure and highlighted the need for G20 countries to work together to bridge the digital divide.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met French President Emmanuel Macron to hold bilateral talks in Bali on Wednesday. The PM earlier in the day, along with other G20 Leaders, visited and planted mangroves at the ‘Taman Hutan Raya Ngurah Rai’ Mangrove forests on the sidelines of G-20 Summit in Bali today. President Joe Biden, who was also visiting the Mangrove forest, was seen stumbling on the stairs during the visit and was steadied by Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo.

Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday met with US President Joe Biden and discussed strategic ties between the two countries in sectors like critical and emerging technologies and artificial intelligence. The Prime Minister also met with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron and several other global leaders on Tuesday on the sidelines of the summit in Bali.

In a first since the 2020 Galwan clash, PM Modi met and greeted Chinese President Xi Jinpingat the G20 dinner hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali on Tuesday. The two shook hands at the event, leading to speculation of a bilateral meeting, but the agenda made known by both sides so far does not mention such a meeting.

The annual G20 Summit opened in Bali, Indonesia on Tuesday with world leaders set to discuss over the next two days challenges triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic and more recently topped by Russia’s war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed at the summit venue by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, ahead of the formal opening of the summit.

Modi said that he would meet with leaders of several other participating countries on the sidelines of the G20 summit and review the progress in India’s bilateral relations with them.

Addressing the Ukraine conflict, he called for a return to the path of “ceasefire and diplomacy” to resolve the Ukraine conflict, and opposed the promotion of any restrictions on the supply of energy, amid the West’s call against procurement of Russian oil and gas. Modi said that climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, the developments in Ukraine and the global problems associated with it have caused havoc in the world and rued that the global supply chains are in “ruins”.

The Prime Minister also interacted with the Indian community in Indonesia on Tuesday evening. Addressing the Indian diaspora, Prime Minister Modi said India is a ray of hope for the world in the 21st century. He highlighted India’s growth story, its achievements and tremendous strides that India is making in various fields such as – digital technology, finance, health, telecom and space and asserted that there was a “huge difference” between pre- and post-2014 India.

After the meeting in Indonesia, India will take over the Group of 20 presidency for one year. India will assume the presidency of the group for a year, beginning December 1, and Modi said he will extend his personal invitation to G20 members and other invitees for the next summit.

The G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the USA and the European Union (EU).

The list includes both advanced and emerging economies. Together, they account for over 80 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product, 75 per cent of international trade and two-thirds of the world population.

During Delhi’s presidency in the coming year, it would be the first time when the troika of G20’s current, previous and next president would consist of three developing countries – India, Indonesia and Brazil.

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