India is all set to welcome foreign heads of state and dignitaries on September 8 in New Delhi, ahead of the upcoming G-20 summit from September 9-September 10 to be held at the ‘Bharat Mandapam’.
The summit is expected to be attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations.
Following his visit to Indonesia, where he addressed the ASEAN-India summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today will be holding several bilateral meetings, including with U.S. President Joe Biden, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, and Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth. Progress on the deal to jointly manufacture jet engines in India, purchase of MQ-9B armed drones, agreement on civil nuclear liability and trade are expected to be the top issues on the agenda in the meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Biden.
Spain’s caretaker Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has joined the list of foreign leaders who will be giving the G-20 summit a miss. Spain’s Economy Minister Nadia Calvino will be representing the country, after Mr. Sanchez tested positive for COVID-19. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not participate in the summit, a decision in line with other recent international summits held after the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, where Mr. Putin has remained absent. Chinese President Xi Jinping will also for the first time skip the G-20 summit, though China has not given a reason behind this decision.
Meanwhile, the capital has stepped up security, with travel restrictions coming into effect from the intervening night of Thursday and Friday until Sunday, in the New Delhi district, which is a “controlled zone”.
Key announcments to look forward to as part of the two-day summit include the African Union is joining the G-20. Negotiators agreed on clearing its membership, according to sources. No G-20 summit has ended without a joint statement, and Indian officials say they hope to fill the gaps by the time the summit ends on Sunday afternoon.
OpinionExpress.In
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