G20 Summit 2023 Highlights: Happy to have welcomed US President Joe Biden, says PM Modi

China on Friday said it is participating in the discussions on Ukraine and climate issues at the G20 Summit in India in an “active and constructive way”.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that an agreement on Ukraine and climate issues is yet to be reached by the G20 nations due to objections raised by China.

“China attaches great importance to the G20 and has participated in the consultations and discussions on the G20 New Delhi Summit document in an active and constructive way,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has said.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said that the phrase 'One Family, One Earth, One Future' is “inspired by the Maha Upanishad and finds profound resonance in today's world not just as a timeless ideal but as an indictment of our times”.

“If we are indeed one global family, we today resemble a rather dysfunctional one. Divisions are growing, tensions are flaring up and trust is eroding which together raise the spectre of fragmentation and ultimately confrontation,” he added.

UK PM Rishi Sunak has assured India on concerns about the activities of Khalistani elements that no form of extremism acceptable and that he will not tolerate it.

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) premises are being decorated with 800 colourful kites all around to welcome the G20 delegates participating in the Summit in New Delhi.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres says expressed his gratitude to India for the warm welcome he received, adding that he hopes “India's presidency at the G20 will help lead to the kind of transformative change our world so desperately needs in line with the repeated commitment that India to act on the behalf of Global South and its determination to pursue the development agenda.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady of South Korea Kim Keon Hee arrived in New Delhi today for the G20 Summit.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has arrived in New Delhi for the G20 Summit.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak discussed his equation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said, ” I have enormous respect for Modi Ji, and he's been personally very warm and kind to me. And we're working very hard, as I said, on our shared ambition of concluding an ambitious and comprehensive trade deal between India and the UK, because both of us think that would be a good thing and both of us need to make sure it works for our two countries.”

Sunak also praised G20 India's theme 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', saying, “I think it is a great theme. When you say 'One Family', I am an example of the incredible living bridge that PM Modi described between the UK and India…So, it is very special for me to be here as British Prime Minister in the country where my family are from.”

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he will be highlighting the “devastating” impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on millions of people around the world, particularly on food prices.

“Russia recently pulled out of a Grain Deal that we are shipping grain from Ukraine to many poor countries around the world and now you have seen food prices go up. That is causing suffering for millions of people. It is not right. One of the things I will be doing is making people aware of the impact of Russia's illegal war,t” he told ANI.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who arrived in New Delhi earlier today for the G20 Summit has said the G20 has been “a huge success for India”.

“India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this. Feel we will have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hold a bilateral meeting in New Delhi.

G20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday said that organising the Summit at such a large scale involved guidance not just at the government level, but also at the grassroots levels. He said several meetings were held in cities that had no exposure to international events and limited capacity to do that.

“What I think resulted in this is that we have created capacity where there was none. We have provided for infrastructural and urban transformations where they did not exist,” the G20 Chief Coordinator said.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres joined the list of dignitaries who have arrived in New Delhi for the G20 Summit.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Oman HH Sayyid Asaad bin Tarik Al Said arrived in New Delhi earlier today for the G20 Summit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday arrived in Delhi for the G20 Summit.

On the side-lines of the G20 Summit when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US President Joe Biden have a bilateral meeting and issues related to trade, procurement of 31 MQ-9B armed drones, jet engines, cutting edge technology and civil and nuclear liability agreement will be discussed.

Top sources confirmed to Financial Express Online that the two leaders are expected to review the progress made on the high-tech cooperation under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), building upon the announcements made during Modi’s previous visit to Washington DC in June. (Read More)

“We wanted the world to take the lead on Green Development in the context of climate action and climate finance. There were several components of this which we wanted to drive and therefore, green development, climate action, climate finance were our third priority. Because both SDG and climate action require finance, particularly for developing and emerging markets in the global south. It was critical that we focus on multilateral institutions of the 21st century…” G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife arrived in Delhi earlier today. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has also arrived in Delhi to participate in the Summit.

Upon her arrival at the Delhi airport for the G20 Summit, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina was greeted with a Gujarati cultural performance. Today, she is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The specialized International Media Centre, tailored for the G20 Summit, is set to feature nine distinct work zones, each named after rivers.

Inside video of International Media Centre from Ground Zero. FE's Huma Siddiqui is on the ground covering the Summit and sharing exclusive visuals and information with us.

This state-of-the-art facility will encompass multiple media briefing rooms, studios, international broadcasting centers, media booths, and live reporting positions, catering to the needs of journalists and reporters.

Get a sneak peek of the International Media Centre preparing for the G20 Summit in Delhi from September 9 to 11.

Videos to follow from inside the IMC. (Images: Huma Siddiqui)

The Delhi Traffic Police has said that all establishments such as schools, restaurants, offices, malls, etc will be closed between September 8 and 10, along with the Supreme Court. During these dates, residents will be granted road access and those coming from outside will need special passes.

Delhi Metro services will continue for the specified period. It will start from 4 am from terminal stations on all lines of the network on September 8-10. All metro stations will remain open for the general public from September 8 to 10, except the Supreme Court Metro Station, which is the closest metro station near Pragati Maidan– the venue of the mega summit.

Passengers will not be allowed to board or deboard at Supreme Court Metro Station on September 9 and 10 due to security constraints. (More Details Here)

Former Prime Minister of India HD Deve Gowda said he would not be attending the G20 dinner organised by President Draupadi Murmu on Saturday due to health reasons.”I have already communicated this to the government. I wish the G20 summit a grand success,” he said.

Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have received invitations to the G20 Summit dinner scheduled for Saturday in New Delhi. The 18th G20 Leaders' Summit, set to take place at the Bharat Mandapam in the national capital, represents one of India's most prominent international summits.

All chief ministers, including those from states governed by opposition parties, have been extended invitations to attend the dinner. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, alongside other chief ministers from the INDIA bloc, such as MK Stalin of Tamil Nadu, Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, Hemant Soren of Jharkhand, Bhagwant Mann of Punjab, and Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi, will be present at the G20 banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu.

Notably, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has not received an invitation to the G20 dinner, as confirmed by his office.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has conveyed his belief that India, poised to host the leaders' summit during its G20 presidency, is committed to taking all necessary measures to bridge existing geopolitical rifts and achieve favorable outcomes at the significant gathering of global leaders.

He is scheduled to arrive in Delhi on Friday to participate in the G20 Leaders' Summit, set for September 9 and 10, which will witness the presence of world leaders, including US President Joe Biden. Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be in attendance at the summit.

(With inputs from PTI)

News agency ANI quoted sources as saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to engage in over 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders during his upcoming diplomatic engagements. On September 8th, the PM will conduct bilateral meetings with leaders from Mauritius, Bangladesh, and the USA.

Moving forward to September 9th, alongside his participation in G20 meetings, PM Modi will hold bilateral discussions with counterparts from the UK, Japan, Germany, and Italy.

On September 10th, he will have a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as a pull-aside meeting with Canada, and bilateral discussions with leaders from Comoros, Turkey, the UAE, South Korea, the EU/EC, Brazil, and Nigeria.

The Delhi government's Department of Food Safety has assigned its officers to guarantee the provision of hygienically prepared meals to G20 dignitaries and delegates during their accommodation at city hotels, according to officials.

A senior department official stated on Thursday that 18 food safety officers are currently gathering samples of raw food ingredients utilized by 19 five-star hotels in New Delhi and the Aerocity region, where foreign guests will be residing.

(With inputs from PTI)