Top world leaders on Sunday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “historic success” of India’s G20 presidency. They hailed PM Modi for his “decisive leadership” and for championing the voice of the Global South. The world leaders also hailed India’s hospitality and praised the PM for presiding over a successful summit, while noting that the country’s message of ‘one earth, one family, one future’ resonated strongly with all the delegates.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a renewed push for expansion of the UN Security Council and reforms in all global institutions to reflect world’s “new realities”, as the G20 summit drew to a close with the US, Russia and France praising the meeting outcomes under Indian presidency.
Here are the key highlights of the global event
PM Modi holds bilateral meets
PM Modi held a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, and discussed issues of mutual interests.
African Union’s induction in G20
The 55-country African Union was also granted permanent membership on Saturday in a milestone for India’s presidency. President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, also thanked India for its support to their candidacy.
While South African President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded India for its role in getting the AU admitted in the G20, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte thanked the Indian presidency for placing the Global South at the centre of the grouping.
Biden congratulates PM Modi
Hailing Modi, US President Joe Biden was quoted by a source as saying, “The African Union is a critical partner. You (Modi) are bringing us together, keeping us together, reminding us that we have the capacity to tackle challenges together.”
India-Middle East-Europe Corridor announced
India along with the US and several major economies announced an ambitious India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor with PM Modi emphasising on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations while promoting connectivity initiatives.
The new economic corridor, which many see as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, was jointly announced by the leaders of the US, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
Russia-Ukraine issue
The text relating to Russia-Ukraine conflict in the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration is a “convergent consensus” rather than a “divisive consensus” and it could show a path to resolution of the crisis, a day after a breakthrough on the contentious issue was achieved to help the G20 leaders come out with a 37-page Declaration marking a huge diplomatic win for India.
‘100 per cent’ consensus
India achieved ‘100 per cent’ consensus on developmental and geo-political issues in the Declaration, which avoided mentioning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and made a general call to all states to follow the principle of respecting each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Russia praises India’s presidency
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the G20 Summit under India’s presidency was a “breakthrough” conclave in many ways as its outcomes showed a path to the world to move forward on a range of challenges and demonstrated the strength and importance of the Global South.
PM Modi pitches for UNSC reform
Addressing the ‘One Future’ session at the summit, PM Modi said it is necessary the global bodies should reflect the “new realities” to lead the world towards a better future.
“In order to take the world towards a better future, it is necessary that the global systems are according to the present realities. Today, the ‘United Nations Security Council’ is also an example of this. When the UN was established, the world was completely different from what it is today. At that time there were 51 founding members in the UN. Today the number of countries included in the UN is around 200. Despite this, the number of permanent members in the UNSC remains the same,” PM Modi said.
Regulation on crypto currencies
PM Modi described cyber security and crypto currencies as among the burning issues affecting the present and future of the world. The crypto currency is a new subject for social order, and monetary and financial stability, he said, seeking the development of global standards to regulate it. Cyber space has emerged as a new source of funding for terrorism and global cooperation and framework are necessary for securing it, he said.
“This is a very important subject for every country’s security and prosperity. “
Japanese PM hails PM Modi
During the summit, while Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hailed Prime Minister Modi for providing “great leadership” of the G20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for strengthening G20 cooperation based on “the foundation created by the Indian presidency”, sources said.
Discussion on pro-Khalistan protests
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the issue of pro-Khalistani protests in his country came up during his meeting with PM Modi and asserted that Canada will work on preventing violence and push back against hatred. Trudeau further stressed that “the actions of the few do not represent the entire community or Canada”, in regard to the Khalistani community. He further said that India is an extraordinarily important economy in the world and an important partner for Canada to tackle issues like climate change and supporting growth and prosperity for citizens.
PM Modi hands over G20 presidential gavel to Brazil’s Lula
PM Modi handed over the G20 presidential gavel to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and expressed faith that India’s successor will further global unity and prosperity.
PM Modi’s initiatives to combat climate change
Over two days of G20 deliberations, several leaders of the bloc’s member countries hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiatives to combat climate change, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida praising him for the concept of “Mission LiFE”, sources said.
G20 leaders pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi
G20 leaders, including US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial Rajghat on Sunday.
British PM Sunak, wife visits Akshardham temple
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday visited the Akshardham temple here with his wife Akshata Murty and said it is not only a place of worship but also a landmark that portrays India’s values.
FM Sitharaman meets Chinese counterpart
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday met her Chinese counterpart Liu Kun and exchanged views on G20-related matters.
(With PTI inputs)
Also read: ‘Actions of few don’t represent entire…’ What Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said on pro-Khalistani protests
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