LM NEWS 24

Glad To See You In Delhi: Modi Welcomes EU Prez Leyen

By LokMarg 8th September 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended a welcome to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on her arrival at the national capital for the G20 Summit.

The EU president will be among the sizeable complement of world leaders and delegates attending the big-ticket summit, which will get underway at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam in the national capital on Saturday.

Responding to a post by the EU President on social media platform X, Prime Minister Modi wrote, “Glad to see you in Delhi for the G20 Summit, @vonderleyen. Grateful for the @EU_commission’s support and commitment. Collectively, we shall address the pressing challenges we face. Looking forward to fruitful deliberations and collaborative actions.”

The EU chief touched down in the national capital on Thursday evening and was received by the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Anupriya Patel.

India and the EU have a common interest in ensuring security, prosperity and sustainable development in a multi-polar world. Both India and the EU agreed to further build on these convergences and foster new synergies for jointly contributing to a safer, greener, cleaner, more digital, resilient and stable world, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.

The EU is India’s second-largest trading partner (after the US) and India’s second-largest export market. India is the EU’s 10th largest trading partner, accounting for 2 per cent of EU total trade in goods. Trade in services between the EU and India reached 40 billion euros in 2021.

For the summit, which is being hosted under India’s presidency of the G20, extensive preparations and arrangements have been made not only to showcase the country’s soft power but also its emergence as a prominent global player.

Formed in 1999, the G20 was formed to maintain global financial stability by incorporating middle-income countries.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. (ANI)