G20 Summit: 14 World Leaders Who Will Be Present Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia's President Vladimir Putin will be giving the G20 Summit a miss this year
By S Shanthi
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The Group of Twenty (G20) was formed in 1999 to meet regularly to discuss global policy on trade, health, climate, and other issues. The group comprises 19 countries and the European Union (EU), representing a major portion of the global GDP and population. The list of countries includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States.
The G20 presidency rotates annually and India holds the position currently. This is the 18th G20 Summit and it will kick off on September 8th. Along with these countries, the heads of the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organisation and World Health Organisation also participate.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the G20 Summit this year. The country's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would instead represent Russia.
And, in latest news, Chinese President Xi Jinping will also not be attending. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will be attending the event in his place. This makes him the second major leader after Russia's President Vladimir Putin to skip the event.
Here's a list of world leaders who will be attending the event.
US President Joe Biden
US President Joe Biden will travel to India on September 7. The U.S. President has said that he is looking forward to his trip to India this week but is disappointed that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will not attend the summit. Biden will also hold bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the two-day Summit, said an announcement by the White House. According to news reports, US First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19. President Biden tested negative.
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
British Prime Minister will be making his first official visit to India after taking charge. According to reports, Sunak will also discuss the UK-India trade negotiations in a separate bilateral meeting with India's prime minister during the visit.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be attending the summit. His visit to India will be part of a three-nation tour in which he will also be visiting Indonesia and the Philippines. The G20 is the world's preeminent forum for global economic cooperation. Leaders will focus on navigating the global economy back to strong, sustainable and resilient growth, said a statement by the Australian PM's office.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be arriving in New Delhi for the G20 Summit from Indonesia where he is participating in the ASEAN summit. Canada's government had earlier requested India to press 'pause' on trade talks between the two nations as Trudeau prepares to travel to India.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeo
Yoon Suk-Yeo has confirmed his presence. According to news reports, he is likely to highlight North Korea's escalating missile provocations and nuclear threats at the summit.
French President Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron's office said the President will travel to Delhi to participate in the G20 Summit on September 9 and 10 following which he will leave for Bangladesh for a bilateral visit. The summit will enable Macron to continue his ongoing dialogue with his counterparts from every continent to combat the 'risks of fragmentation' of the world, it said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman
Mohammed Bin Salman is likely to attend the G20 summit in New Delhi but an official confirmation is yet to come. U.S. President Joe Biden is considering meeting with Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the summit
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has confirmed attendance at the upcoming G20 Summit. The G20 summit remains important despite the absence of the heads of the states of Russia and China, Scholz was quoted as saying in an interview with German radio station Deutschlandfunk.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida started his seven-day trip to Indonesia and India on Tuesday. He will be reportedly addressing concerns about the disposal of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his full support for India's G-20 presidency at a delegation-level bilateral meeting with PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit. During the meeting, Ramaphosa appreciated India's initiative to give the African Union full membership in G20.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Ahead of the summit, Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner, Andalib Elias said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will attend the G20 Summit on September 9 and 10. "We are also hoping that there will also be a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and PM Sheikh Hasina," said Elias.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan
According to Turkish news reports, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will raise climate change issues separately at the upcoming G-20 summit in India. After the summit, Erdogan will visit New York to attend the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, where he will address climate change issues in his speech.
Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez
Alberto Fernandez has also confirmed his attendance at the G20 summit. Few days ago, ambassador Dinesh Bhatia met him to discuss his forthcoming visit to India. They discussed strengthening of Strategic Partnership between India & Argentina.
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu aims to promote foreign investment in the country and mobilize global capital for infrastructural development at the summit.