Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a virtual summit of G20 leaders on Wednesday, November 22, with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the main spotlight amid the fact it will be the first instance when he will be sharing the same platform with Western leaders following his announcement of war against Ukraine.
Although Chinese President Xi Jinping has confirmed he will skip the crucial virtual meeting, it is unlikely that his absence will cast any shadow over the summit. In fact, it would provide India with an opportunity to discuss the implementation of the Delhi Declaration adopted in September and several new challenges that have emerged since then.
Why the virtual summit is crucial for India and the world
Addressing a press conference ahead of the summit, India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said the deliberations will witness "excellent participation" from leaders of the grouping. Kant described the virtual summit as "rare and exceptional" which would give Modi an opportunity to interact with world leaders for a second time during India's G20 Presidency before it passes on to Brazil in December.
Notably, Xi and Putin skipped the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi on September 9 and 10.
"The virtual summit of the G20 being held tomorrow will also be a major gathering of world leaders since the conclusion of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly and the SDG Summit," Kant said.
Agenda of the summit
He said it would not be correct to pre-judge if the issues of geo-political tensions will be raised at the meeting.
The virtual meeting of G20 leaders is taking place a day after leaders of the BRICS grouping held an extraordinary meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. "The virtual summit will provide an opportunity not only to discuss the implementation of the leaders' declaration but also for the leaders to share views and enhance cooperation on critical challenges," Kant said.
(With inputs from agency)
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