World leaders gather in Delhi to attend G20 Summit

Several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, arrived here on Friday to attend the G20 Summit, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he looked forward to have productive discussions with them over the next two days.

Modi held bilateral meetings with Biden, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Mauritian PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth on Friday evening.

In their meeting, Modi and Biden reviewed the progress made on the decisions they took during the prime minister's state visit to Washington in June.

The leaders were welcomed by traditional dance performances by various troupes and a smiling IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva danced to the beat of the music at the airport.

Responding to a post by Georgieva on X on arrival here to attend the summit, Prime Minister Modi said he appreciates the affection she has shown for India's culture when she landed here.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Bangladesh PM Hasina were received at the airport by Union Ministers Shobha Karandlaje and Darshana Jardosh respectively.

Sunak was received by Union minister Ashwini Choubey while Argentine President Alberto Fernández was welcomed by Union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste.

Comoros President Azali Assoumani also arrived here to a rousing welcome. He is also the chairperson of the African Union.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Argentine President Alberto Fernández, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and World Bank President Ajay Banga also arrived for the summit.

On his arrival, Deputy Prime Minister of Oman Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said was received by Ashwini Choubey and he witnessed dance performance by cultural troupes.

President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President of United Arab Emirates Shaikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan also landed here to rousing welcome.

UN Secretary General Antonia Guterres, who also reached here to attend the Summit, was received by officials of the world body.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Joko Widodo, the President of Indonesia reached New Delhi later in the evening.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said, ''I am confident that our guests will enjoy the warmth of the Indian hospitality.'' ''I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation,'' he added.

The G20 leaders will deliberate on pressing global issues at the grouping's annual summit here on September 9 and 10. India is hosting the summit in its capacity as the current G20 chair.

The leaders of the influential grouping are being welcomed at the airport with cultural performances.

In its G20 presidency, India has been focusing on various issues such as inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience and equitable global health access.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).