Indonesia on Wednesday, November 16, handed over the G20 presidency to India for the coming year at the Bali summit, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi terming it a matter of pride for every Indian citizen. At a brief ceremony, Indonesian President Joko Widodo handed over the G20 presidency to Prime Minister Modi at the conclusion of the two-day G20 Summit. "Together with every country's efforts, we can make the G20 summit a catalyst for global welfare," Modi said. The handing-over ceremony came as the member states finalised the joint declaration.
Prime Minister Modi said India's G-20 presidency will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented, noting that the country is taking the charge at a time when the world is grappling with geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown and rising food and energy prices. India was handed over the presidency of the influential bloc at the end of the two-day G-20 summit which was hosted by Indonesia.
In his remarks at the closing ceremony of the summit, Modi said India will strive to ensure that the G-20 acts as a global "prime mover" to envision new ideas and accelerate collective action over the next year. "India is taking charge of the G-20 at a time when the world is simultaneously grappling with geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown, rising food and energy prices, and the long-term ill-effects of the pandemic," Modi said.
"At such a time, the world is looking at the G-20 with hope. Today, I want to assure that India's G-20 presidency will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented," he said. India will officially assume the G20 Presidency on December 1. The next G20 Leaders' Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10 in New Delhi. The Prime Minister said India's presidency of the G-20 is a proud occasion for every Indian and that the country will organize G-20 meetings in different cities and states.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that India has contributed 'constructively' to the drafting of the G20 'outcome document.’ Delegations from the member states had differences on how to characterise the Russia-Ukraine war, with Ukraine's western allies said to be seeking outright condemnation of Moscow. There were fears earlier that the member states may not agree to a final document. G20 declarations require the consensus of all members.
The declaration was not immediately released. Though the main business of the Summit ended in the afternoon, heads from some countries including India had scheduled bilateral talks on its sidelines for later in the day. Modi was scheduled to leave Bali in the evening.
The G20 comprises 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union. Prime Minister Modi has promised a presidency that will be "inclusive" and a voice of the developing countries. The next summit will be held in New Delhi on September 9-10.
Foreign Secretary Kwatra said the Indian delegation guided by the prime minister played a "key role" in the successful resolution of differences over the "outcome document." He said the "particular global context" was reflected in the consensus documents. He said Modi's observation that this is not an era of war and his advocacy of diplomacy and dialogue helped in reaching a "successful" outcome. His message helped in consensus building, Kwatra said.
Modi met French President Macron Emmanuel in the morning. After the closing ceremony, he was scheduled to have bilateral meetings with leaders from Indonesia, the UK, Australia, Germany and Singapore before leaving for Delhi. On Tuesday, he had brief formal meetings with US President Joe Biden and Indonesian President Widodo.
The foreign secretary characterised the handshake between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a dinner on Tuesday evening as an exchange of pleasantries. The two leaders had talked briefly and shaken hands, sparking interest as they have not held a bilateral meeting after a border clash in 2019.