NEW DELHI: Warm welcome was accorded to leaders who arrived in Delhi for the G20 Summit which begins on Saturday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing confidence that the gathering of world leaders will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development.
Most leaders from member countries have already reached Delhi while others taking part in the summit would be in the national capital by Saturday morning.
It is the first-ever G20 Summit in India and will be held at Bharat Mandapam in national capital on September 9 and 10.
The leaders who reached the national capital include US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentina President Alberto Fernandez and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The leaders were welcomed by traditional dance performances.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also reached India. He had hosted the BRICS summit last month.
Other leaders who arrived in the national capital include Chinese Premiere Li Qiang, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Oman Deputy Prime Minister Asaad bin Tariq bin Taimur, Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Egypt President El-Sisi, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
African Union Chairperson Azali Assoumani, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Argentina President Alberto Angel Fernandez, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Secretary-General, Mathias Cormann, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also reached Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who made a series of posts on X, said that India is delighted to host the 18th G20 Summit at New Delhi’s iconic Bharat Mandapam.
“This is the first ever G20 Summit being hosted by India. I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days. It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development,” the Prime Minister said.
“Rooted in our cultural ethos, India’s G20 Presidency theme, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future’ deeply resonates with our worldview, that the whole world is one family. India’s G20 Presidency has been inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented. We actively voiced the developmental concerns of the Global South,” he added.
The Prime Minister said India also places great emphasis on a human-centric way of furthering progress.
“It is important to emulate Gandhi Ji’s mission of serving the underprivileged, the very last person in the queue.”
The Prime Minister said during the G20 Summit, he will chair sessions on ‘One Earth’, ‘One Family’ and ‘One Future’, covering a range of issues of prime concern to the world community.
“These include furthering strong, sustainable, inclusive and balanced growth. We seek to accelerate progress of SDGs, Green Development Pact for a Sustainable Future and strengthen Multilateral Institutions for the 21st Century. We attach immense priority to futuristic sectors such as technological transformation and digital public infrastructure. We will also collectively work to further gender equality, women empowerment and ensure world peace.”
The Prime Minister said he will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation.
“I am confident that our guests will enjoy the warmth of the Indian hospitality. Rashtrapati Ji will be hosting a dinner on September 9. On the 10th, the leaders will pay homage to Gandhiji at Rajghat. At the Closing Ceremony, on the same day, G20 Leaders will share their collective vision for a sustainable and equitable ‘One Future’, together like ‘One Family’, for a healthier ‘One Earth’,” he said.
PM Modi held bilateral meetings with the US President, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and his Mauritius counterpart Pravind Jugnauth on Friday. (ANI)