By ANI special correspondent
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“India is holy land of Buddha and Gandhi. I am confident that next year when G20 meets, they will all agree to convey a strong message of peace to the world”; says Narinder Modi
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BALI [Indonesia]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met his United Kingdom counterpart Rishi Sunak after assuming office for the first time on the sidelines of the 17th edition of the G20 Summit.
“Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Rishi Sunak in conversation during the first day of the 20org Summit in Bali,” PM Modi’s Office said in a tweet. This is the first face-to-face meeting that took place between both leaders. Earlier, in October, PM Modi and Sunak spoke on the phone and emphasized the importance of an early conclusion of “a balanced and comprehensive” Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.
PM Modi arrived in Bali on Monday and met President of the Republic of Senegal Macky Sall, Netherland’s PM Mark Rutte and US President Joe Biden.
“Deliberations with an important developmental partner in Africa. PM Modi interacted with President Macky Sall, the President of Senegal and Chairman of the African Union.
PMO also said, “Multilateral summits present wonderful opportunities for leaders to exchange views on diverse issues. Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Mark Rutte interact during the 20org Summit in Bali.”
Address the G20
Earlier today, PM Modi addressed the G20 working session on Food and Energy Security session and reiterated India’s long-standing position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy in Ukraine and said “‘We have to find a way to return to the path of the ceasefire” in Kyiv.
“I have repeatedly said that we have to find a way to return to the path of ceasefire and diplomacy in Ukraine,” PM said.
“Over the past century, the Second World War wreaked havoc in the world. After that, the leaders of that time made a serious effort to take the path of peace. Now it’s our turn. The onus of creating a new world order for the post-Covid period lies on our shoulders. The need of the hour is to show concrete and collective resolve to ensure peace, harmony and security in the world,” he added.
Referring to India as the “holy land of Buddha and Gandhi” PM Modi said that he is confident that the next year when G20 meets they will all agree to convey a strong message of peace to the world.
PM Modi started his speech by congratulating Indonesia for giving effective leadership to the G-20 in a challenging global environment. He further said that Climate change, the Covid pandemic, the developments in Ukraine, and the global problems associated with it have created havoc in the world.
“Global supply chains are in ruins. There is a crisis of essentials and essential goods all over the world. The challenge for the poor citizens of every country is more severe. Everyday life was already a struggle for them. They do not have the financial capacity to deal with the double whammy.
Due to the double whammy, they lack the financial capacity to handle it. We should also not hesitate to acknowledge that multilateral institutions such as the UN have been unsuccessful on these issues. And we have all failed to make suitable reforms to them. Therefore, today the world has greater expectations from the G-20, and the relevance of our group has become more significant,” PM Modi added.
Talking about the problems during the pandemic situation, PM said that India had ensured the food security of its 1.3 billion citizens. At the same time, food grains were also supplied to many countries in need. The current shortage of fertilizers in terms of food security is also a huge crisis.
He further said that the fertilizer shortage “is tomorrow’s food crisis,” and the world will not have a solution.
PM Modi said that all the G20 countries have to build mutual agreement to maintain the supply chain of both manure and food grains stable and assured.
“In India, for sustainable food security, we are promoting natural farming and re-popularising nutritious and traditional foodgrains like millets. Millets can also solve global malnutrition and hunger. We all must celebrate the International Year of Millets with great enthusiasm next year,” he added. (ANI)
Meeting with Chinese President
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 dinner hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali, Indonesia.
Both the leaders exchanged pleasantries at the high-profile dinner. Notably, this is the first handshake since China’s Peoples Liberation Army and the Indian Army’s standoff in eastern Ladakh in April 2020.
The relations between India and China soured following a standoff in April-May 2020 over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger Area, Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, and Kongrung Nala. The situation worsened after violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June.
In June 2020, the two armies were engaged in a violent clash that resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and at least three Chinese troops. PM Modi and Xi exchanged greetings at the G20 dinner.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for improving connectivity at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit held in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand, he maintained a safe distance from Xi Jinping.
PM Modi and President Jinping shared the world stage for the first time after clashes in the Galwan Valley. The tension along the Indo-China border was evident from the distance that the two leaders maintained from each other at the summit.
Moreover, PM Modi also met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the G20 dinner. He will be holding bilateral meetings with leaders of Indonesia, Spain, France, Singapore, Germany, Italy, Australia and the UK.
PM Modi, Biden review partnership
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden expressed satisfaction about the close cooperation between India and US in new groupings such as the Quad, I2U2 and reviewed India-US strategic partnership on the margins of G20 Summit in Bali on Tuesday.
Both sides discussed close cooperation in future-oriented sectors like critical and emerging technologies, advanced computing, and artificial intelligence, an official statement by Prime Minister’s office read. The two leaders also exchanged dialogue on topical global and regional developments.
As per the official statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked US President Joe Biden for his constant support for strengthening the India-US partnership and expressed confidence that both countries would continue to maintain close coordination during India’s G-20 Presidency.
Indonesia’s President will hand over G20 Presidency to India at the closing ceremony of the Bali summit. India will officially assume the G20 Presidency on December 1, 2022.
Address to community
Highlighting the close cultural ties between India and Indonesia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said, “We are not 90 nautical miles away, we are 90 nautical miles close.”
Addressing a community programme in Bali, Indonesia on the accomplishments of the Indian diaspora, he said, “India and Indonesia have an enduring partnership. We are not 90 nautical miles away, we are 90 nautical miles close.”
“India and Indonesia both have many similarities in their cultures. On Sankranti, beautiful and colourful kites fill the skies of both nations,” added PM Modi.
PM Modi also referred to a unique kite exhibition that he attended with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta last year.
Lauding the Indian diaspora in Bali, he said, “The Indian diaspora living in Bali have contributed to the growth of Indonesia across various fields such as art, engineering, agriculture and even the film industry.”
Speaking about India-Indonesia relations, he said, “People often say, ‘It is a small world.’ This is true for India and Indonesia. Relations between both nations have prospered over centuries.”
He also referred to Bali Yatra as happening in the Indian city of Cuttack in Odisha.
“As I speak to you in Bali and we sing songs of Indonesian traditions, 1500 km away from here in India’s Cuttack, Bali Yatra Mahotsav is going on – Bali Jatra. This Mahotsav celebrates thousands of years old India-Indonesia trade relations,” said PM Modi.
“When people of Indonesia see photos of this year’s Bali Jatra on the internet, they will be proud and happy. Due to the issues arising due to COVID, some hurdles had cropped up. After several years, Bali Jatra Mahotsav is being celebrated on a grand scale with mass participation in Odisha,” he added.
PM Modi was greeted by people who chanted “Modi, Modi” at the Indian community event in Bali.
He also tried his hands at traditional Indonesian musical instruments.
He compared the cultural and geographical similarities between the two nations.
“If India has the Himalayas, Indonesia has Mount Agung; if India has Ganga, Indonesia has Tirta Gangga – we are united through cultures and traditions,” said PM Modi.
Speaking about Operation Samudra Maitri, he said, “Relations between India and Indonesia stand strong during both good and difficult times. In 2018, when Indonesia was affected by an earthquake, we immediately started operation Samudra Maitri.”
“When the cultures are similar when the vision for humanity is similar, then the paths to development also coincide,” he added. (ANI)