New Delhi

More than 25 world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will convene at the G20 Summit on September 9-10 in the Indian capital New Delhi.

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This marks India's inaugural hosting of the summit since the grouping initiated summit-level meetings in response to the 2008 financial crisis.

A formidable gathering of 18 countries, who are members of the grouping, will be represented at the leaders' level.

These prominent leaders include Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Chinese President Xi Jinping, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US President Joe Biden, President of the European Council Charles Michel, and President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen.

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At the forthcoming summit, all but two countries will be represented by their leaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin's absence will be filled by his foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov.

Similarly, Mexico's delegation will be led by Minister of Economy Raquel Buenrostro Sanchez. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, except for the Riyadh Virtual G20 summit in 2020, has traditionally opted for ministerial-level representation.

G20 Summit in Delhi: 6% of normal domestic operations to be impacted over 3 days: IGI Airport

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Notably, Mexico's presence has been consistent at this level, with its foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard representing the nation at the Bali G20 summit in 2022, the Italy G20 summit in 2021, and the Osaka G20 summit in 2019.

Chinese President Xi's arrival in Delhi for the summit follows an informal conversation with Indian PM Narendra Modi, amid the tense situation at the Line of Actual Control. Xi's last India visit was the 2019 informal summit in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu. President Biden's visit to India, from September 7 to 10, includes G20 participation. The White House, while announcing the visit, hailed PM Modi's G20 leadership and reaffirmed the US commitment to the premier economic cooperation forum.

Also read | B20 Summit 2023: PM Modi stresses need for global framework on cryptocurrency, Artificial Intelligence

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman's G20 presence aligns with a September 11 state visit. Notably, Indonesian President Widodo arrives just after ASEAN summit talks in which PM Modi will be participating in person from 6-7 September, underlining India's diplomatic engagement.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's Delhi visit comes post-BRICS summit, spotlighting BRICS' expanded role.

Also read | Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to arrive on state visit soon after G20 Summit in India

Notably, Japanese, Australian, Italian, and German leaders had earlier visited the Indian capital this year, marking their unique rendezvous with Delhi.

For UK's Rishi Sunak, the first Indian-origin prime minister, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, this marks their inaugural Delhi visit since assuming office last year.

Additionally, India's outreach extends to include leaders from nine nations who have been invited.

These are Bangladesh's PM Sheikh Hasina, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, and Mauritius' PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth are among the invited guests, joined by Netherlands' PM Mark Rutte, Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong, Spain's President Pedro Sanchez, UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed, and Oman's Deputy PM Sayyid Asad Bin Tariq Al Said who is also the personal representative for the Sultan. The Indonesian President represents ASEAN as its chair, while Egypt's President shoulders representation for the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD.

With India's advocacy for the African Union's integration into the G20 consortium, Azali Assoumani, Chairperson of the African Union who is also the President of Comoros, will take part in the summit.

In total, the Delhi summit will witness the presence of 27 heads of state/government, complemented by three representatives at the ministerial/personal representative echelon.

Leaders of pivotal multilateral organisations will also grace the occasion, including WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, World Bank President Ajay Banga, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, OECD Secretary-General Mathias Hubert Paul Cormann, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, ILO Director-General Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, ISA Director General Ajay Mathur, CDRI Director General Amit Prothi, ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa, and Chair of the Financial Stability Board, Klaas Knot.

Altogether, this illustrious assemblage will comprise 41 influential figures, including world leaders and heads of top-tier institutions, convened under the leadership of Indian PM Modi in his capacity as the G20 grouping's chair.

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