G20: New Delhi welcomes Foreign Ministers

PM Narendra Modi is likely to address G20 Foreign Ministers; Bilateral meetings are on cards

NEW DELHI | Updated: 01 March, 2023 9:57 pm IST

India laid a red carpet for all the visiting foreign ministers as it gears up to host the first G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting under its presidency on March 2.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the visiting foreign ministers. India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will be chairing two sessions of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The theme of India’s G20 Presidency is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or ‘One Earth. One Family. One Future’.

“EAM will be chairing two sessions of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The first session will focus on multilateralism and issues related to food and energy. The second session will focus on new and emerging threats, including counter-terrorism and narcotics, global skill mapping, and global talent pools,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Wednesday, March 1.

Speaking on the absence of Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi from the meeting, Kwatra said, “We understand that the Japanese Foreign Minister is not able to come because of his domestic compulsions. But we are looking forward to very active participation and active support in consultation with the Japanese delegation that is coming.”

In the absence of Hayashi, Deputy Foreign minister Kenji Yamada will lead the Japanese delegation at the G20 meeting.

On Wednesday, EAM Dr Jaishankar met his counterparts from the Netherlands, Argentina, Russia, Nigeria, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Mauritius and others while discussing several topics.

“What we expect from tomorrow’s foreign minister meeting is a very clear, strong and all-encompassing message on the problem of terrorism and the need for G20 countries to fight against it together. The larger challenge of counter-terrorism and narco-terrorism will be in focus,” FS Kwatra said.

The meeting kicked off with a ‘Networking Reception and Conversation over Dinner’ on Wednesday, March 1. On Thursday, the crucial meeting of all G20 foreign ministers will be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Center.

Members of 40 delegations from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India as host, Indonesia both as immediate past president and ASEAN chair, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, and the US will take part in various sessions.

Sharing a video of preparations, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted, “Here is a sneak peek into how we’ve been gearing up to host the @g20org Foreign Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre.”

“A marvellous melting pot of the old and the new, of rich traditions and modern progress, of a luminous history and a glorious future – the city of Delhi is poetry in motion. The effervescent capital city of India welcomes #G20FMM delegates for its 1st #G20India Meeting,” the official G20 handle tweeted.

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