After high-octane poll campaigning in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Rajasthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday evening flew to Argentina to attend the 13th edition of the G20 summit in the capital city of Buenos Aires. The Prime Minister is scheduled to hold a trilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and will also hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The annual meeting is being attended by leaders of the top 20 economies of the world and the theme for this year is 'Building Consensus for a Fair and Sustainable Development.'
In a pre-departure statement, PM Modi said that during the G20 summit, India will highlight the need for reformed multilateralism which reflects the contemporary realities and can effectively strengthen collective action for global good.
G20 summit will cover the entire gamut of economic issues, including the agricultural sector reform, the challenges climate change poses and health-care issues faced by the world, said foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale. During the summit, PM Modi is likely to highlight the risks posed by oil price volatility and raise the issue of combating terror financing and money laundering. Gokhale added that the prime minister will make a lead intervention in the first session of the summit titled - Putting People First.
The second sesssion of the summit will mainly focus on talks of building a consensus which will deal with trade, finance, taxation, sustainable development, and climate change. The third session will be on 'embracing opportunities' related to energy infrastructure, sustainable food security.
The prime minister will speak on his flag programmes like the Jan Dhan Yojana, the Mudra scheme, Ayushman Bharat, soil health card in the G20 summit. PM Modi will also make a pitch to countries who are not in the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn to join the International Solar Alliance. Gokhale said the issue of disaster relief infrastructure will also be discussed.
Modi will also meet United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres, Mauricio Macri, the president of Argentina; Chilean president Sebastian Pinera, German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
He will also meet the prime ministers of Spain, Jamaica, the Netherlands and the president of the European Union and European Council.
A bilateral meeting between Modi and French president Emmanuel Macron is also being worked out, Gokhale said.
UN CHIEF'S MESSAGE TO WORLD LEADERS: TAKE BOLDER LEADERSHIP AT CRITICAL TIME
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has a message for leaders of the 20 major economic powers ahead of this week's summit: take stronger leadership and bolder action to tackle critical problems from climate change to inequality at a time the world is facing "a crisis of confidence."
Before flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to attend the Group of 20 meeting, the U.N. chief told reporters on Wednesday it is imperative that countries work together to create a fairer world.
Guterres warned that "we are headed for a world of cataclysm and uncertainty due to climate disruption."
He also warned that "those left behind by globalization are losing trust in governments and institutions," inequality is "pervasive and increasing," trade disputes are escalating, and geopolitical tensions "are adding further pressure to the global economy."
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