Hanoi:

India has emerged as a country which is able to contribute much more to the world with a higher level of confidence and harmonise the contradictions of the world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday. Addressing the Indian community in Vietnam, Mr Jaishankar also highlighted India’s role on the global stage through hosting a successful G20 summit in New Delhi last month and the deep historical and cultural connect that it shares with Vietnam.

“India is today very much a country on the Moon. It is a country whose global impact will be felt more and more… It is really, today a nation with many more capabilities, which is able to contribute much more and which has a much higher level of confidence…,” he told the Indian community members.

He said the space India occupies and the reputation built by it is creating the impression in the world that there is a country, which is actually able to harmonise the contradictions of the world, bridge the divides of the world, find common ground, and get people together.

“I must say, whether it was the G20 or a lot of other forums. Today, one big difference we are making is that we are able to get the world to look at the right issues. And the right tissues of the world today are development, climate, terrorism and debt. So the rest of the world today is looking very much towards India to articulate a lot of these positions,” he added.

Noting that India and Vietnam are probably the two fastest-growing economies in Asia, he said the USD 15 billion bilateral trade volume can grow and grow very fast. “And what we have to do is to set very ambitious targets and to clear a pathway for those targets to be realised,” he said.

Addressed the Indian community in Vietnam

Highlighted

The deep historical and cultural connect that share. My Son is the best example of this civilizational connect.

India’s role in the global stage through G20 and our ability to forge consensus is being noted… pic.twitter.com/hgKgNVxfA0

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 17, 2023

“A second set of issues for every country, defence and security is very important. We have long been reliable partners of Vietnam,” Mr Jaishankar said, adding that his visit was about how the two sides can broaden their relationship and accelerate cooperation. Noting that things are very difficult in many parts of the world, he said the challenges have actually only strengthened our commitment and our resolve to do more things together.

He underlined the importance of people-to-people connections and hailed the Indian community’s role in strengthening the country’s global outreach.

“There is no question today that in many ways our relationship is a good fit, there is a lot that we can do, but at the end of the day, when we speak about cooperation, it is done by people, and you are the people,” he added.

Mr Jaishankar arrived in Vietnam on Sunday on a four-day official visit.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

India will raise all issues with the Canadian speaker of the Senate during the upcoming Parliament-20 meeting of the G20 nations’ presiding officers scheduled here next week, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Friday. The presiding officers of 25 countries and 10 deputy speakers from the G20 member nations and invitee countries are expected to attend the P20 Summit that will be held at the India International Convention and Expo Centre — Yashobhoomi — at Dwarka from October 13 to 14.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) on October 13.

Canada will be represented at the P20 Summit by Speaker of the Senate Raymonde Gagne. India’s relations with Canada have been under severe strain after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linked Indian agents to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June.

“We will discuss issues that have been listed for the summit. Other issues will be discussed informally,” Mr Birla said when asked whether the matter of using the Canadian Parliament to level allegations against India will be raised with the Canadian presiding officer.

More than 350 delegates are expected to attend the three-day summit that will see the participation of 50 members of Parliament, 14 general secretaries, 26 vice-presidents, the International Parliamentary Union president, and the president of the Pan-African Parliament.

“The main theme of the 9th P20 is proposed to be ‘Parliaments for One Earth, One Family, One Future’,” Mr Birla told a press conference here.

Presiding Officers of Parliaments of G20 Nations, and 10 other invited Nations and Heads of international parliamentary organisations will attend the Summit. Delegates will brainstorm on important issues like SDGs, green energy, bridging digital gap and gender equality.

— Om Birla (@ombirlakota) October 6, 2023

The P20 Summit will have four sessions on “Transformation in People’s Lives through Public Digital Platforms”, “Women-led Development”, “Accelerating SDGs” and “Sustainable Energy Transition”, he said.

“A pre-summit event, namely Parliamentary Forum on Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), will be held on October 12 at Yashobhoomi. An exhibition titled ‘Mother of Democracy’ will also be organised to highlight India’s ancient and participative democratic traditions,” Mr Birla said.

The P20 delegates will also be taken on a tour of the new Parliament House, followed by a cultural evening and dinner hosted by the speaker. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the special session of parliament starting today “may be brief but would be big on occasion”, adding that it would be a session of “historic decisions”.

In his remarks just before the session, PM Modi highlighted the Chandrayaan moon landing and the G20 as big achievements for the nation.

“The unprecedented success of GSLV Mk III-M1 is a celebration of India’s diversity,” he said.

The G20’s unprecedented success and the consensus sent a message of a bright future for India, added the Prime Minister.

He said a special aspect of the session was that the 75-year journey of the country was beginning afresh.

“The atmosphere is filled with enthusiasm and a new self-confidence across the country. The session may be short in duration, but in terms of time, it is significant; it is a session of historic decisions,” said PM Modi.

“From a new place comes new energy, new belief; we aim to make the country a developed nation by 2047.”

Stressing that the session was important in many ways, PM Modi urged MPs to make the most of it.

“I urge all Members of Parliament to make the most of their time. Let us meet in an environment of enthusiasm and excitement. Complaining and criticism take a lot of time. There are some moments in life that fill you with enthusiasm, I see this session in that way.”

The session was short, but it was very valuable, he reasserted.

“Tomorrow is the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. Ganesh is the remover of obstacles. There will be no obstacles in India’s development journey,” he stated.

The five-day “Amrit Kaal” session of parliament will feature discussions on the evolution of India’s parliamentary democracy. Eight bills are listed.

Washington, United States:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to top global ratings among world leaders with an approval rating of 76 per cent, according to a survey by Morning Consult.

According to the US-based consultancy firm’s ‘Global Leader Approval Rating Tracker’ 76 per cent of people approve of PM Modi’s leadership, while 18 per cent disapprove of it and six per cent did not give any opinion.

Notably, this is a huge number by a far margin, as the second-best approval rating is enjoyed by Switzerland President Alain Berset (64 per cent) and Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (61 per cent).

In previous ratings too, Prime Minister Modi had topped the ranking.

US President Joe Biden has a 40 per cent approval, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has 37 per cent, UK PM Rishi Sunak ratings stood at 27 per cent, and France President Emmanuel Macron stood at just 24 per cent.

India recently successfully hosted the G20 summit in the national capital, hosting over 40 global leaders and their delegations.

At the Leader’s Summit, the New Delhi Declaration was adopted unanimously with full consensus. A major standout of the declaration was bringing all global powers on the same page and forging consensus on an issue as divisive as the Russia-Ukraine war.

At the conclusion of the summit, PM Modi handed over the gavel to Brazilian President Lula da Silva and also proposed to hold a virtual G20 session in November to review the suggestions and proposals made at the premier forum for international economic cooperation.

Throughout India’s presidency, raising the voice of Global South and the developing nations was at the forefront of New Delhi’s agenda. India’s theme for the G20 Presidency was also ‘One Earth One Family One Future’, whose Sanskrit translation goes as ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.

PM Modi stated that India’s G20 Presidency has become a symbol of inclusion both inside and outside the country, adding that it has become “People’s G20” in India and crores of citizens are connected with it.

A major and historic takeaway of India’s presidency of the G20 Summit has been the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the Group of 20 (G20).

 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The task of managing cavalcades of world leaders was the toughest part of the job during the recently concluded G-20 meet, various officers of Delhi Police have agreed. What complicated it was that three world leaders — including US President Joe Biden — insisted on flying in their own hi-tech personal vehicles and having huge cavalcades.

During his visit to the national capital, Mr Biden travelled in “The Beast” — the US Presidential Cadillac, that was flown to India from the US in a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. Mr Biden had the longest cavalcade — 50 cars.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also got their own fleets.

“Managing carcades of so many visiting heads of states was the most challenging work during G 20 summit,” Madhup Tiwari, the Special Commissioner (Security) told NDTV.

As many as 28 country heads and 13 international organisational heads participated in the G20 meet and most of them were moving in bullet-proof cars in Delhi. Bullet proof cars were provided to VIPs after threat assessments.

To keep a track of so many VIP carcades, the Delhi Police had launched a carcade management system which was being managed via control room.

“We were tracking all cars on real time basis throughout the summit,” a senior police officer said.

Each group had a designated time frame for movement.

Mr Biden’s cavalcade was to reach the Mahamandapam in 14 minutes from Maurya Sheraton. United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s carcade was allowed seven minutes as he was staying in Shangri-La Hotel.

The Turkish President was staying in Oberoi while the Saudi Prince was in Hotel Leela.

“All drivers of VVIP cars were from CRPF and were very precise in their timings,” an official explained.

All drivers allotted to VIP fleets were shortlisted from contingents which were either attached with the Special Protection Group or the National Security Guards  

“We had the best team. Even the women officers who were with spouses of visiting VIPs, were trained by the CISF (Central Indian Security Forces). All of them worked as a team and not as different components derived from various pools,” he added.

New Delhi:

Thousands of workers have worked for over a year behind the scenes to make the concluded G20 meet a huge success. A few of them, who worked on Bharat Mandapam — the ground zero of the Summit, told NDTV it was a great experience and they were extremely happy and proud that the meet was a huge success.  

“It was a great experience and many of our friends have worked on this project… We are happy that G20 was held in our country for the first time. We even had a chance to see and meet the great people who came from abroad for this event,” Vishal Pande told NDTV.

Mr Pande and his friends have been doing “the “finishing” job on the refurbished pavilions of Pragati Maidan, for which they had taken a tender. It has provided jobs to many, he said.  

“We are very happy that it all went smoothly,” said Mr Pande, who has been working at the site for four years, long before G20 was announced.  

Raj Mishra, who worked as part of a cleaning team of 40, said they were working 12-hour shifts in the run-up to the summit. But now that the meet is over, their work load has not reduced.

Asked how he felt about the meet, he said, “What can I say? It felt great”.

A mammoth repair and beautification drive was undertaken in Delhi for the G20 Sumit that included building of 10 roads,  installation of 31 statues and 90 fountains on roads, grooming of 1.65 lakh plants and the installation of decorative lighting.

At Bharat Mandapam,  various exhibitions were set up for the guests that showcased the country’s technological advancement and innovation.

A “Culture Corridor” was also set up to celebrate the shared heritage of G20 members and invitee countries.

New Delhi:

The one-of-its-kind ‘Culture Corridor’ project was unveiled on Saturday, coinciding with the opening of the G20 summit.

The ‘Culture Corridor’ has been set up at the venue for the G20 guests, which will showcase a unique international project called ‘Culture Corridor: G20 Digital Museum’.

It  represents and celebrates the shared heritage of G20 members and invitee countries.

It also incorporates the iconic and notable cultural objects and the heritage of the G20 members and nine invitee countries.

Here are some of the artefacts from different countries displayed at the Culture Corridor in the Bharat Mandapam:

 

 

New Delhi:

The one-of-its-kind ‘Culture Corridor’ project was unveiled on Saturday, coinciding with the opening of the G20 summit.

The ‘Culture Corridor’ has been set up at the venue for the G20 guests, which will showcase a unique international project called ‘Culture Corridor: G20 Digital Museum’.

It represents and celebrates the shared heritage of G20 members and invitee countries.

It also incorporates the iconic and notable cultural objects and the heritage of the G20 members and nine invitee countries.

Here are some of the artefacts from different countries displayed at the Culture Corridor in the Bharat Mandapam:

 

 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his delegation will stay another night in India, the host for this year’s G20 meet, as his plane developed a technical snag.

“Upon our departure for the airport, we were made aware by the Canadian Armed Forces that CFC001 was experiencing technical issues. These issues are not fixable overnight, our delegation will be staying in India until alternate arrangements are made,” the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

The flight, say sources, was scheduled to take off at 8 pm. Trudeau arrived in the national capital on Friday to attend the G20 Summit.

This is not the first time that the Airbus has caused problems for Trudeau and his delegation.

According to CTV News, Canada’s 24-hour all-news network, an issue in October 2016 required the aircraft to return to Ottawa 30 minutes after taking off with the prime minister.

In October 2019, says CTV news, the VIP plane rolled into a wall while being towed into a hangar in Ontario.

New Delhi:

A picture of Rishi Sunak, down on one knee, speaking to his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi is getting a lot of attention on the internet.

The picture, in internet speak, is viral.

A user on X, formerly twitter, shared the photo and captioned it, “Big man don’t have ego! Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of UK sat down on the floor to match the comfort – in a tetatete with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. #G20”

Big man don’t have ego! Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of UK sat down on the floor to match the comfort – in a tetatete with with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. #G20pic.twitter.com/6oAbzuskbd

— Ayanangsha Maitra (@Ayanangsha) September 10, 2023

Another user shared the photo and called it “lovely” and “adorable”.

What a lovely & an adorable picture of Our HPM Sheikh hasina & @RishiSunak.
pic.twitter.com/OS0Mwu6hN9

— Silvia Parveen Lenny (@ParveenLenny) September 10, 2023

One more user called Rishi Sunak a “gentleman” for his gesture.

Rishi Sunak ji is such a gentleman. He meets Bangladesh’s PM Sheikh Hasina ji with such humbleness.

More power to @RishiSunak Ji pic.twitter.com/51rgSuuCOE

— Neetu Khandelwal (@T_Investor_) September 10, 2023

Earlier in the day, Rishi Sunak visited the Akshardham Temple in Delhi with his wife Akshata Murty and offered prayers. Rishi Sunak, who is on his first official visit to India, said that he is hugely proud of his Indian roots and his connection to the country. Rishi Sunak also called himself a “proud Hindu”.

After the temple visit, Mr Sunak headed to Rajghat to join the other delegates in paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

During his visit for the G2 summit, Rishi Sunak reviewed the progress of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations along with PM Modi and expressed hope that the remaining issues could be addressed at the earliest so that a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward-looking FTA is signed soon.

PM Modi also invited PM Sunak for a bilateral visit at an early, mutually convenient date for a more detailed discussion. Prime Minister Sunak accepted the invitation and congratulated PM Modi for a successful G20 Summit.