India expects ‘vast majority’ of G20 leaders at virtual summit
New Delhi, Nov 21 (EFE).- India expects a “vast majority” of G20 leaders to participate in a virtual summit of the 20 wealthy nations on Wednesday, the Indian foreign ministry said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected address the online meeting after he skipped the in-person attendance of the G20 in September.
Participants at the virtual summit are expected to touch upon the Hamas-Israel war and grave humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip where relentless Israeli bombings have killed more than 11,000 people in the last six weeks of the escalating conflict.
“I don’t think it would be correct for us to prejudge what issues will be raised by the leaders at the virtual summit tomorrow,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday.
“But it is important to mention that G20 has focused centrally on the developmental priorities, and to the extent…they are impacted by developments elsewhere in the world, and they do tend to come in the discussions.”
The virtual summit, which comes two months after the in-person meeting of the Group of Twenty leaders in the Indian capital, will begin at 5:30 pm local time (12:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
The Kremlin confirmed on Monday that Putin will speak at the virtual summit to address the “very turbulent” situation in the world.
Putin did not attend the last two annual summits of the group of 20 wealthy nations held in Indonesia in 2022 and India this year.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been the focus of the G20 in recent years, hindering the adoption of joint communiqués and forcing intense negotiations over language.
The Delhi summit witnessed the unanimous adoption of the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration.
The virtual G20 leaders’ summit will be the last meeting organized under the Indian presidency, as Brazil will take over leadership of the bloc on Dec. 1.
The Indian foreign ministry said the virtual summit will take forward key, select outcomes, action points from the Delhi summit as well as review developments since then.
The deliberations of the 2nd Voice of Global South Summit, held on 17 November 2023, will also feed into the discussions.
The virtual summit is also expected to push for effective implementation of various G20 decisions, including through relevant national and international platforms.
India holds the G20 Presidency until Nov.30. The G20 Troika during the Brazilian G20 Presidency in 2024 will comprise India, Brazil, and South Africa.
The virtual G20 meeting organized by India, which holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, is the last organized under its presidency of the Asian country, as Brazil will take over the leadership of the bloc from December 1. EFE
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