Foreign Minister S.K. with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna on January 1, 2023. Jaishankar | photo credit: special arrangement
agreement India’s G20 Presidency A “huge deal”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the country has taken up the responsibility of hosting the meetings of the powerful grouping at a time when there is immense economic pressure on global supply chains and strong political polarization in the country. world.
India formally assumed the chairmanship of the G20 on 1 December. The next G20 Leaders’ Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 9 and 10 September.
Addressing members of the Indian diaspora in the Austrian capital on Sunday, Mr Jaishankar said India intends to use its chairmanship for the benefit of the international community.
“I get the question sometimes, can you imagine from which side, saying, anyway, this had to come your way. So, what’s the big deal? It’s a big deal. Because our diplomatic In history, we have never had so many powerful nations, the world’s top 20 economies, which today account for the bulk of global GDP, to dominate world trade, their leaders come to India,” he said.
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“More than who is coming, it is when are they coming? Because these are tough times. The world is under enormous economic pressure on supply chains. There is very strong political polarization, much to the chagrin of even getting all the major countries to sit around the table. So, it is really extraordinary for us to take on this responsibility at this time.”
‘Voice of fairness and justice’
Mr Jaishankar, who reached Austria from Cyprus on the second leg of his two-nation tour, said India would be the “voice of fairness and justice”.
He said the country will ensure that it emerges as a voice for those societies and countries that would otherwise be left behind and have no one else to speak for them.
“We will take this as an opportunity to present India and all the changes that I have tried to tell people. This G20 presidency is not the way it is usually done. What is being done in two or three metros, we are going to take it to more than 55 cities across the country.
“We are going to make sure that the diversity of every region, every culture, every local cuisine and local products is displayed to the world,” he said.
Shri Jaishankar said that lakhs of officers and leaders would come to India to get an opportunity to see every corner of the country.
“So, in a sense, I would say you can think of this as marketing India to the world,” he said in his lengthy address to the Indian community.