Staff Reporter
G20 Foreign Ministers meeting under India’s G20 presidency will be held tomorrow, March 2. This will be the second ministerial meeting held under India’s presidency.
Briefing media about the meeting in New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra informed that 40 delegations are expected to participate in the meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Center. He added that thirty international organisations will participate in the meeting.
On the Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi not attending the meeting, the Foreign Secretary said, India and Japan have enjoyed sterling cooperation when it comes to discussions and deliberations within the G20 adding that India greatly values Japan’s participation. He said that while the Japanese Foreign Minister will not able to come because of his domestic compulsions, India is looking forward to very active participation and support in consultation with the Japanese delegation that is coming.
On whether Dr Jaishankar will meet his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, the Foreign Secretary said that the External Affairs Minister has already started meeting many of his counterparts since yesterday. He said the Minister will try to meet as many counterparts as possible.
Replying to a query, the Foreign Secretary said that given the developing situation of Russia-Ukraine, it will naturally be an important point of discussion during Foreign Ministers meeting. He added that issues of the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the world including economic impact and impact on development will also be focused upon in the meeting.
It will be the largest gatherings of Foreign Ministers hosted by any G20 presidency.
A gala dinner is being hosted this evening for the visiting dignitaries. Foreign ministers of participating nations including Brazil, Mauritius, Turkiye, Australia, Nigeria, and Mexico have arrived in New Delhi to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting.
During the event tomorrow, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will chair two sessions. The first session will focus on multilateralism and issues related to food and energy while the second session will focus on new and emerging threats including counter-terrorism and narcotics, global skill mapping, and focus on global talent pools.