G20 Summit Day 1 Highlights: PM Modi announces India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor, New Delhi Leadership Declaration adopted, and more

The consensus declaration adopted by the G20 leaders called for “comprehensive, just, and durable peace in Ukraine” and urged member states to “refrain from the threat of use of force to seek territorial acquisition” or act against the territorial integrity of any state. The declaration also stressed that the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons to be “inadmissible”.

The announcement of a multimodal transport and energy corridor between India and Europe via the Middle East today at the G20 summit marks a breakthrough in post-Partition India’s quest for deeper connectivity with the regions to the north-west of the Subcontinent. The project would involve the building of a railway line across the Arabian Peninsula through the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and develop shipping connectivity to India and Europe on either end of this corridor.

The corridor could be further developed to transport energy through pipelines and data through an optical fibre link. The project could include other nations like Israel when Riyadh and Tel Aviv establish normal relations.

The New Delhi G20 Leadership Declaration was welcomed by several Union Ministers and officials, who said the “historic” document recognises Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on human-centric globalisation.

G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to hail the New Delhi G20 Leadership declaration, calling it “Historical & Path breaking”. He said that the leaders reached 100% consensus on all developmental and geo-political issues.

Hailing the consensus, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that this will make India ready for the world and the world for India. He added that India taking on the G20 presidency led to the Group of 20 prioritising the concerns of the ‘Global South’. Focusing on the push towards multilateralism, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that India’s presidency of the G20 Summit and its outcomes were testimony to the country’s “commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation”.

Soon after proceedings began, the African Union (AU), a continental body of 55 member states, was made a permanent member of the G20. In his opening remarks at the summit, Prime Minister Modi invited the AU, represented by Chairperson Azali Assoumani, to take a seat at the table of G20 leaders as a permanent member.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union (AU), Azali Assoumani takes his seat as the Union becomes a permanent member of the G20. pic.twitter.com/Sm25SD80n9

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2023

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Modi said the country's G20 presidency was "a symbol of inclusion, of 'sabka saath' both inside and outside the country."

"This has become people's G20 in India. Crores of Indians are connected to this. In more than 60 cities of the country, more than 200 meetings have taken place," the Prime Minister added.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union (AU), Azali Assoumani takes his seat as the Union becomes a permanent member of the G20. pic.twitter.com/Sm25SD80n9

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2023

Highlighting the existence of a global trust deficit, PM Modi went on to say: "Today, as the President of the G20, India calls upon the entire world to turn this Global Trust Deficit into trust and confidence!"

According to the PM, the world faced the trust deficit challenge soon after the Covid pandemic. "But we must remember that if we can defeat a pandemic like Covid, we can also win over the challenge of this trust deficit," he added.

The name card in front of Modi as he addressed the gathering at the Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the Summit, said 'Bharat'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Session-2 on 'One Family' during the G20 Summit 2023 at the Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi, Saturday, Sep. 9, 2023. (PTI Photo)

This comes amid the ongoing India vs Bharat debate that was sparked by a dinner invitation sent to G20 leaders, which referred to President Droupadi Murmu as the President of 'Bharat', instead of India. Following the controversial invite, there was much speculation about whether the country was set to undergo a name change.

A multinational rail and ports deal linking the Middle East and South Asia will be announced on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, a White House official told Reuters.

The pact comes at a critical time as US President Joe Biden seeks to counter China's Belt and Road push on global infrastructure by pitching Washington as an alternative partner and investor for developing countries at the G20 grouping.

The deal will benefit low and middle-income countries in the region, and enable a critical role for the Middle East in global commerce, Jon Finer, the U.S. deputy national security adviser, told reporters at the bloc's annual summit in New Delhi.
It aims to link Middle East countries by railway and connect them to India by port, helping the flow of energy and trade from the Gulf to Europe, U.S. officials have said, by cutting shipping times, costs and fuel use.
A memorandum of understanding for the deal will be signed by the European Union, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and other G20 partners, Finer said.

Reuters

As soon as world leaders started arriving at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi on Saturday morning for the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally welcomed each and every one of them at the arrival area on the building’s second level. Interestingly, PM Modi shook hands with them for the customary photo-op, with a wall depicting the Konark Wheel of Odisha in the background.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows a mural of Konark Sun temple wheel from Indian state of Orissa to U.S. President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Bharat Mandapam convention center for the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. AP/PTI

Each of the leaders walked on the red carpet, past a wall displaying 32 “essential yoga asanas” – curated from the late 17th-century text of the Gheranda Samhita – that adorns the arrival area. - Divya A reports

The theme for India’s G20 presidency, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future’, is a global roadmap for sustainable, inclusive and human-centric development, President Droupadi Murmu said on Saturday.

A warm welcome to all Heads of Delegations of the G20 nations, Guest countries, and International Organisations participating in the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi.

India's G20 Presidency theme, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - One Earth, One Family, One Future’, is a global roadmap for…

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 9, 2023