Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held on Friday a number of bilateral meetings with world leaders as they arrived for the G20 Summit, to be held on Saturday and Sunday.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that Modi met US President Joe Biden and held extensive talks. “Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics, which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA.
“The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good,” Modi said after meeting Biden. The Indian Premier also met Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, who thanked Modi for the special invitation extended to Mauritius to participate in the G20 Summit as a Guest Country.
“The two leaders reviewed the multi-faceted bilateral cooperation between India and Mauritius. They noted the rapid pace of bilateral exchanges in the past year, with more than 30 delegation visits and signing of 23 bilateral agreements,” the statement noted.
Modi also met with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, who arrived in New Delhi to participate in the Summit as a guest country as well.
Modi also welcomed Managing Director of International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva, President of the European Union Commission Ursula von der Leyen, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez and the Spanish delegation. UAE President Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have also arrived in New Delhi.
In addition, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have confirmed their participation in the summit.
However, President Vladimir Putin will not attend, as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent Russia. Chinese President Xi Jinping is also not attending the event, with Premier Li Qiang representing his country. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also will not be attending the summit. Indian authorities have put in place a heavy security blanket in the capital New Delhi, which received a facelift to welcome world leaders for the Summit.
Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)