Modi promises ‘inclusive, ambitious, decisive, action-oriented’ G20 presidency

India’s G20 presidency will be “inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Indonesia handed over the presidency to India for 2023 at the Bali summit on Wednesday.

PM Modi termed it a matter of pride for every Indian citizen, noting that the country was taking the charge at a time when the world was grappling with geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown, and rising food and energy prices.

“At such a time, the world is looking at the G20 with hope. Today, I want to assure that India’s G20 presidency will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented,” he said. India will officially assume the G20 presidency on December 1.

India will assume the G-20 Presidency for the coming year. Our agenda will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive and action-oriented. We will work to realise all aspects of our vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future.’ pic.twitter.com/fRFFcDqpzO

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 16, 2022

“We’ll make G20 a catalyst for global change”

On Wednesday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo symbolically handed over the G20 presidency to PM Modi in a brief ceremony at the conclusion of the two-day G20 summit. The handing-over ceremony came as the member states finalised the joint declaration.

In his remarks at the closing ceremony, Modi said India would strive to ensure that the G20 acts as a global “prime mover” to envision new ideas and accelerate collective action over the next one year.

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The next G20 summit is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10 in New Delhi. The PM said the country will organize G20 meetings in different cities and states.

“Our guests will get full experience of India’s amazing diversity, inclusive traditions, and cultural richness. We wish that all of you will participate in this unique celebration in India, the Mother of Democracy. Together, we will make the G20 a catalyst for global change,” he said.

“India helped draft outcome document”

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said India has contributed constructively to the drafting of the G20 outcome document.

The member states reportedly had differences on how to characterise the Russia-Ukraine war, with Ukraine’s western allies seeking an outright condemnation of Moscow. There were even fears that they might not agree to a final document. G20 declarations require the consensus of all members.

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Kwatra said the Indian delegation, guided by the PM, played a key role in the successful resolution of differences over the outcome document. He said Modi’s observation that this was “not an era of war” and his advocacy of diplomacy and dialogue helped provide a successful outcome.

“His (Modi’s) message helped in consensus-building,” Kwatra said. The declaration was not immediately released, though.

The main summit ended on Wednesday afternoon, but the heads of some countries, including India, had scheduled bilateral talks on its sidelines for later in the day.

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After the closing ceremony, Modi was scheduled to have bilateral meetings with leaders from Indonesia, the UK, Australia, Germany, and Singapore before leaving for Delhi in the evening. He met French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier in the day.

On Tuesday, he had brief formal meetings with US President Joe Biden and Indonesian President Widodo.

(With agency inputs)