PM Modi to attend three key sessions at G20 summit in Bali

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in three key sessions — food and energy security, digital transformation and health — at the G20 summit in Bali, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Sunday.

The prime minister will leave for the Indonesian city of Bali on Monday on a three-day visit to attend the summit that is expected to deliberate extensively on pressing global challenges including the Ukraine conflict and its implications.

At a media briefing, Kwatra said Modi and other leaders will discuss issues relating to global economy, energy, environment, digital transformation, etc. The summit is set to be attended by US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Kwatra said Modi will have a number of bilateral meetings with some of the G20 leaders.

The prime minister is attending the summit at the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Indonesia is the current chair of the G-20. India will formally assume the G20 Presidency from December 1.

The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies.

It comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).

The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

India is currently part of the G20 Troika (current, previous and incoming G20 Presidencies) comprising Indonesia, Italy and India.