Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will invite his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina to participate in the upcoming G-20 summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi for the first time from September 9 to 10 in 2023.

He will also invite heads of state or government of the other member countries for the summit.

A statement issued by the G-20 secretariat through the Ministry of External Affairs of India where former Foreign Secretary Harsh Bardhan Shringla is Coordinator said," in addition to G20 Members, there has been a tradition of the G20 Presidency inviting some Guest countries and International Organizations to its G20 meetings and Summit. Accordingly, in addition to regular International Organizations (UN, IMF, World Bank, WHO, WTO, ILO, FSB, and OECD) and Chairs of Regional Organizations (AU, AUDA-NEPAD, and ASEAN), India, as G20 Presidency, will be inviting Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and UAE as Guest countries, as well as International Solar Alliance, coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and Asian Development Bank as Guest."

Sources said that Indian External Affair minister Dr. S Jaishankar or Chief Coordinator Mr. Shringla may travel to Dhaka for inviting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the summit.

India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from December 1, 2022, to November 2023.

Under its Presidency, India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings across the country, beginning from December 2022. The G20 Leaders' Summit at the level of Heads of State and Government is scheduled to be held on September 09 and 10 in 2023 in New Delhi.

It will be a rare spectacle to see world top leaders like US President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese Premiere Xi Zin Ping may attend the summit along with guest countries.

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

It comprises 19 countries --Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, USA, and the European Union.

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

During Presidency, India, Indonesia, and Brazil would form the troika. This would be the first time when the troika would consist of three developing countries and emerging economies, providing them a greater voice.

According to the statement, this time  G20 priorities are in the process of being firmed up, and ongoing conversations inter alia revolve around inclusive, equitable and sustainable growth; LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment); women’s empowerment; digital public infrastructure, and tech-enabled development in areas ranging from health, agriculture and education to commerce, skill-mapping, culture and tourism; climate financing; circular economy; global food security; energy security; green hydrogen; disaster risk reduction and resilience; developmental cooperation; fight against economic crime; and multilateral reforms.

BDST: 2150 HRS, SEP 14, 2022
MSK