World leaders begin arriving in India's New Delhi for G20 summit
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The G20 leaders will be discussing disputed topics such as the war in Ukraine and strategies to shift toward clean energy, which might put a unified post-summit declaration at risk.
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Flags of G20 member countries displayed at the summit's entrance hall in New Delhi, India in September 2023 (AFP)
Leaders of G20 countries have begun arriving in India's capital New Delhi, with notable absences being Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During the two-day summit beginning on Saturday, various disputed issues will be discussed, such as the war in Ukraine, the gradual transition away from fossil fuels, and debt restructuring, which could complicate the issuance of a concluding statement on Sunday.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in New Delhi today, accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty. The Guardian reported on Friday that during his visit, Sunak will attempt to persuade India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a tougher stance against Russia, mainly with regard to the country's continued imports of Russian oil.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden departed from Joint Base Andrews near Washington DC heading to partake in the summit and is scheduled to meet with Modi upon arrival.
Biden has hoped earlier to hold bilateral talks with Xi on the summit's sidelines, despite Washington's increasingly hostile actions, which include both sanctions and aggressive statements, against Beijing.
The Kremlin has announced earlier that Putin will not be attending the meeting, rather, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will represent Russia accompanied by a delegation.
On the same note, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will represent China instead of President Xi.
A report by CNN earlier today pointed out how Chinese President Xi Jinping's no-show at the G20 summit, which marks his first absence since becoming President, is raising concerns among Western leaders that China is transmitting a clear message about its ambitions to reshape global governance. His decision to skip this year's summit has been met with speculation, but no official explanation has been made.
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India's G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant stated that the G20 leaders' summit declaration is "almost ready", adding that it will be recommended to the leaders for approval and "only after that we'll be able to talk about the actual achievements of the declaration."
"The challenge is to bring consensus on every issue. Every country has veto power. Multilateral issues are different from bilateral ones," Kant told NDTV.
"G20 is an economic forum discussing growth and development. In Bali last year, issues of conflict that impact development like food, fuel and fertilisers were discussed and this year it has been a discussion, too. But the leaders will have to take the final decision,” he continued.
On the admission of the African Union into the international organization, Kant said the decision on the proposal put forward by Modi will be announced after the leaders vote on the matter.
According to the negotiator, "No document in the world would have such a strong voice for the Global South and the developing countries."
Modi has earlier called on G20 leaders to provide financial and technological assistance to developing countries to combat climate change.
