During the Bali Summit, G-20 leaders will deliberate extensively upon key issues of global concern under the Summit theme of “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Bali, Indonesia next week to attend the 17th G-20 Summit. The Prime Minister is undertaking the visit at the invitation of Indonesia President Joko Widodo.
“Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will be visiting Bali, Indonesia from November 14-16 to attend the 17th G20 Summit at the invitation of the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
During the Bali Summit, G-20 leaders will deliberate extensively upon key issues of global concern under the Summit theme of “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”.
“Three working sessions will be held as part of the G-20 Summit Agenda — food and energy security; health; and digital transformation,” the statement added.
At the Summit’s closing session, President Widodo will symbolically hand over the G20 Presidency to Modi.
India will formally assume the G20 Presidency from December 1. On the sidelines of the Summit, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with some of his counterparts. He will also address and interact with the Indian community in Bali. Earlier this week, Prime Minister unveiled the logo, theme and website of India’s G20 Presidency via video conferencing. Guided by the Prime Minister’s vision, India’s foreign policy has been evolving to undertake leadership roles on the global stage.
The G20 Presidency offers a unique opportunity for India to contribute to the global agenda on pressing issues of international importance. The logo, theme and website of India’s G20 Presidency reflect India’s message and overarching priorities to the world.
G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
During the G20 Presidency, India will host about 200 meetings in 32 different sectors in multiple locations across India. The G20 Summit to be held next year, would be one of the highest-profile international gatherings to be hosted by India.
Putin not to attend summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia next week, an Indonesian government official said on Thursday (November 10), avoiding a possible confrontation with the United States and its allies over his war in Ukraine.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the chief of support for G-20 events, said Putin’s decision not to come was “the best for all of us.”
US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders are to attend the two-day summit that starts next Tuesday. The summit would have been the first time Biden and Putin were together at a gathering since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Indonesian President Joko Widodo is hosting the event on the island of Bali.
“It has been officially informed that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will not attend the G-20 summit, and will be represented by a high-level official, and this has been discussed by President Joko Widodo and Putin in previous telephone conversations,” Pandjaitan said after meeting security officials in Denpasar, the capital of Bali.
“Whatever happens with Russia’s decision, it is for our common good and the best for all of us,” added Pandjaitan, who is is also the coordinating minister of maritime affairs and investment. He said earlier that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will lead the Russian delegation.
Pandjaitan did not know why Putin decided not to come but said “maybe it’s because President Putin is busy at home, and we also have to respect that.” Pandjaitan confirmed the same reason may be keeping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at home as well.
Widodo earlier this year travelled to Kyiv and Moscow in an effort to get the two leaders to sit down in Bali and make peace.
Russian Foreign Ministry and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed later Thursday that Lavrov will head Russia’s delegation at the G-20 summit instead of Putin. He did not give a reason.
Putin’s decision not to attend the summit comes as Russian forces in Ukraine have suffered significant setbacks. Russia’s military said it will withdraw from Kherson, which is the only Ukrainian regional capital it captured and a gateway to the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
Russia’s announced retreat from Kherson along with a potential stalemate in fighting over the winter could provide both countries an opportunity to negotiate peace, Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday.
He said as many as 40,000 Ukrainian civilians and “well over” 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the war, now in its ninth month. “Same thing probably on the Ukrainian side,” Milley added.
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