G20 India 2023, Ukraine issue at the summit today and tomorrow

G20 ‘will give an idea of ​​India’s potential’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeated it several times in recent months, and now the opportunity has arrived: on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 September, a summit of leaders of the 20 most powerful economies in the world will be held in New Delhi. It should mark the dedication of a year in which India has overtaken China in terms of population and growth of its economy. Consecration carried out by the Chinese President Xi Jinping Maybe he didn’t want to attend: He is the largest absentee from the summit, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He, who had already been arrested under an international arrest warrant, remained at home to avoid embarrassment and prosecution.

I arrived in an armored, unrecognizable New Delhi, devoid of traffic and people on the streets, with ruined slums and pictures of Modi every ten metres. Giorgia Meloni, who will speak twice at the G20, on Saturday morning and then on Sunday morning. Diplomatic sources confirmed that “Italy has a full interest in the success of the summit, and this is in our interest from a bilateral and multilateral point of view and as the next president of the G7.”

In fact, a few hours after the start of the works Final statement Indian G20 President Amitabh Kant says it is “almost ready. We are working to reach a consensus.” There is agreement on all points, the only disagreement concerns UkraineThe aim is to finalize a text that adopts last year’s Bali Declaration, when all 20 member states of the group agreed to condemn Russian aggression, Italian sources say.

Meanwhile, while the Sherpas worked on improving the texts, Friday was the day of the first bilateral meetings: Modi met with US President Joe Biden, Meloni saw Brit Rishi SunakIn it, she said, among other things, that she was “ready to intensify bilateral cooperation on the issue of migration.”

Meetings with Modi, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and South Korea’s Yeon Suk-yul have already been confirmed for Saturday. With the latter, we will talk about chip production in Europe, while with Li, “we will continue the dialogue that began last year at the G20 in Bali with President Xi Jinping and continued with the visit of Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to Beijing in recent days.” Italian diplomatic sources say.

They stressed that “there is life outside the Silk Road,” pointing to the possibility of Italy withdrawing from the memorandum that Parliament will decide in any case, and stressing the desire to strengthen the strategic partnership with China. But after the controversy that erupted in recent days, a meeting between the Prime Minister and European Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni did not take place. “There is no need for that,” they said.

Meloni will speak at the summit for the first time on Saturday in a “One Earth” session on climate, energy, environment and sustainable development. Then on Sunday morning, in the “One Future” session, on digital transformation, reform of multilateral institutions, and artificial intelligence. In the middle – the “One Family” session – there will be discussions on reforming international financial institutions and how to make better use of development bank funds, topics that intertwine with what are among the main priorities of Italian foreign policy. “Africa.” The G20 will be an opportunity to see some of the countries invited to attend the migration conference in Rome at the end of July in New Delhi.

Not only that: on the sidelines of the summit, a meeting will also be held between the European countries of the group and some African countries invited to attend the summit, with the President of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who, thanks to Italy’s contribution, “became in Brussels the leader in focusing European foreign policy on Africa.” “. So much so that half the money from the Global Gateway, the European infrastructure project considered an alternative to the Silk Road, was allocated to the continent. A form of “soft power” against China, while the United States called on it “not to be a spoiler” of the summit.

“The West must compete in Africa again,” this was repeated in New Delhi, where the green light will be given for the entry of the African Union into the G20, while an agreement will be signed between the United States, the European Union, India and some African countries. Gulf to develop railway infrastructure between Europe and Asia and vice versa. All of this confirms the interest in the so-called Global South of the world, which India wants to be its voice within the G20, then pass the baton next year to Brazil and then in 2025 to South Africa. (Correspondent Maria Grazia Napolitano)