Indonesia hands over G20 presidency to India as Bali Summit ends

PTI, Nov 16, 2022, 2:05 PM IST

Credit: Reuters photo

Indonesia on Wednesday handed over the G20 presidency to India for the coming year at the Bali Summit here with Prime Minister Narendra Modi terming it a matter of pride for every Indian citizen.

At a brief ceremony, Indonesian President Joko Widodo handed over the G20 presidency to Prime Minister Modi at the conclusion of the two-day G20 Summit here.

“Together with every countries’ efforts, we can make the G20 summit a catalyst for global welfare,” Modi said.

The handing over ceremony came as the member states finalised the joint declaration.

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

Delegations from the member states had differences on how to characterise the Russia-Ukraine war, with Ukraine’s western allies said to be seeking outright condemnation of Moscow.

There were fears earlier that the member states may not agree to a final document. G20 declarations require consensus of all members.

The declaration was not immediately released. Though the main business of the Summit ended in the afternoon, heads from some countries – including India – had scheduled bilateral talks on its sidelines for later in the day.

PM Modi was scheduled to leave Bali in the evening.

The G20 comprises 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union.

PM Modi has promised a presidency that will be “inclusive” and a voice of the developing countries.

The next summit will be held in New Delhi on September 9-10.

Foreign Secretary Kwatra said the Indian delegation guided by the prime minister played a “key role” in the successful resolution of differences over the “outcome document.”

He said the “particular global context” was reflected in the consensus documents.

He said Modi’s observation that this is not an era of war and his advocacy of diplomacy and dialogue helped in reaching a “successful” outcome.

His message helped in consensus building, Kwatra said.

Modi met French President Macron Emmanuel in the morning. After the closing ceremony he was scheduled to have bilateral meetings with leaders from Indonesia, the UK, Australia, Germany and Singapore before leaving for Delhi.

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

The foreign secretary characterised the handshake between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a dinner on Tuesday evening as an exchange of pleasantries.

The two leaders had talked briefly and shaken hands, sparking interest as they have not held a bilateral meeting after a border clash in 2019.