Key G20 Foreign Ministers' Meet In Delhi; Russia, US, China To Attend Amid Ukraine War

France's Catherine Colonna, Germany's Annalena Baerbock, and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly are also among those attending the India-hosted foreign ministers' meeting of G20 countries.

New Delhi: Amid a war between Russia and Ukraine, foreign ministers of G20 major economies will meet in the national capital today (March 1, 2023) to deliberate on pressing global challenges. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, France's Catherine Colonna, Germany's Annalena Baerbock, and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly are among those attending the India-hosted meeting. 

People familiar with the agenda of the meeting said that the visiting dignitaries will be welcomed at a gala reception on March 1, and the crucial deliberations on various challenges will be held on March 2 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre (RBCC) at the Raisina Hills.

Ahead of the crucial meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also held a series of bilateral talks including with his counterparts Mexico, Turkey, Mauritius, of Brazil.

Welcomed FM @MevlutCavusoglu of Türkiye in New Delhi for #G20FMM.

Appreciated his warm words for #OperationDost and all personnel involved.

Discussed the G20 agenda, the Ukraine conflict and our bilateral cooperation. pic.twitter.com/MxMDYlGbOB — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 28, 2023

Bilateral ties have progressed significantly in recent years. Welcomed the opening of Mexican Consulate in Mumbai. Exchanged ideas on mobility, sustainability and innovation.

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 1, 2023

Also exchanged views on the global situation as well as the G20 agenda.
#G20FMM #G20India — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 1, 2023

Agreed to strengthen our multilateral cooperation, including in the UN, BRICS and IBSA. — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 28, 2023

Various foreign ministers of non-G20 countries including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will also attend the key meeting following India's invitation as guests.

G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting In Delhi Today: A Look At Agenda

The G20 foreign ministers' meeting is expected to deliberate on multilateralism, food and energy security and development cooperation, counter-terrorism, new and emerging threats, global skill mapping and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The foreign ministers are also likely to discuss ways to deal with falling economic growth, increasing inflation, lower demands for goods and services as well as increasing prices of food, fuel and fertilisers.

However, the major flashpoint between the West and the Russia-China combine is expected to be the Ukraine conflict even as India is set to make all-out efforts for a joint statement following the crucial meeting.

Besides participating in the G20 meeting, a number of foreign ministers are also set to take part in the Raisina Dialogue, India's annual conference on geo-politics and geo-economics.

The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world's major developed and developing economies. The members 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).