Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday handed over the G20 presidency to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the second day of the two-day summit in New Delhi.
Brazil officially will take over the mantle of the presidency of the elite grouping on December 1 this year. PM Modi completed the transition by handing over the gavel of the presidency to the Brazil President.
While handing over the presidency, PM Modi said, “I want to congratulate Brazil’s president and my friend Lula da Silva, and hand over the presidency’s gavel to him.”
Furthermore, PM Modi proposed a G20 virtual summit in November end to review progress on matters decided in this summit.
“I congratulate PM Modi for efficiently leading G20 bloc and for excellent work in this summit,” said Lula da Silva, as he took the gravel at ceremony to mark transfer of G20 chair.
Lula listed out social inclusion, fight against hunger, energy transition and sustainable development as G20 priorities for the next session. He also said that Brazil wants a greater representation for emerging countries at World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
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“UN Security Council needs new developing countries as permanent, non-permanent members to regain political strength,” he further stated.
On sidelines of G20, Lula said on Saturday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin would not be arrested in Brazil if he attends the Group of 20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro next year.
Interviewed on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Delhi by news show Firstpost, Lula said Putin would be invited to next year’s event, adding that he himself planned to attend a BRICS bloc of developing nations meeting due in Russia before the Rio meeting.
“I believe that Putin can go easily to Brazil,” Lula said. “What I can say to you is that if I’m president of Brazil, and he comes to Brazil, there’s no way he will be arrested.”
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia has denied its forces have engaged in war crimes, or forcibly taken Ukrainian children.
Putin has repeatedly skipped international gatherings, and was not present at the G20 get-together in Delhi, sending Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Brazil is a signatory to the Rome Statute which led to the founding of the ICC.
On Saturday, the G20 nations adopted a consensus declaration that avoided condemning Russia for the war in Ukraine but called on all states not to use force to grab territory.
