G20

"Our foreign minister will take part in in the meeting of G20 foreign ministers in New Delhi on March 1-2," Andrey Rudenko was quoted as saying by Russian news agency TASS. India officially assumed the G20 presidency on December 1st and Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that India's G20 presidency will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented.

For Beijing, it is difficult to swallow that India is rising in global stature and influence whereas, China is being looked as an autocratic country with an aspiration to be a global power through economic development bereft of elements of sustainable development and with a military expansionist approach, both regionally and globally.

Jaishankar tweeted after their meeting here on Wednesday that they "exchanged views on working together during India's G20 Presidency". India became President of the G20 group of major industrialised and emerging economies as the world faces a double whammy of crises from the fallout of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"One Earth. One Family. One Future. India has taken over the presidency of #G20India! I trust my friend @NarendraModi to bring us together in order to build peace and a more sustainable world," Emmanuel Macron wrote in a tweet. India formally assumed the G20 Presidency on Thursday.

India assumed the rotational G-20 chair for a year on Thursday, the same day that it also took the month-long Presidency of the UN Security Council, which will also be the last month of its eighth non-permanent membership of what is really the world's most elite club on global security issues.

In a clip recorded by the media pool at the now-concluded G20 summit in Bali, a visibly frustrated Xi pulls the Canadian Prime Minister aside and says it was "not appropriate" for details about a previous conversation between the two leaders to have been shared with media, suggesting Trudeau lacked "sincerity" in his approach, the Guarian reported.

It went on to add that a majority of members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine, stressing that it is "causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy - constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks".

"The two leaders appreciated the importance of working together in bilateral and multilateral forums including G20 and the Commonwealth," a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Sunak assumed office last month. Modi congratulated Sunak on assuming office.

The two leaders reviewed ongoing collaboration in diverse areas like defence, civil nuclear, trade and investment. They also welcomed the deepening of cooperation in new areas of economic engagement, a statement issued by the PMO said. Regional and global issues of mutual interest were also discussed, the statement added.

Hours after Sunak and Modi met on the sidelines of the summit on Tuesday, the British Prime Minister announced that 3,000 Indians will be granted visas annually to come to the UK. Under the new UK-India Young Professionals Scheme, the country will offer 3,000 places annually to 18-30 year-old degree educated Indian nationals to come to the UK to live and work here for up to two years.