The Capitals: New Delhi's test to ace the G-20 exam

The capital of the world's largest democracy will host the G20 summit this week. In the months before, New Delhi has worked hard to assert its presidency of the grouping as one of a geo-economic forum.

The country's foreign minister, Dr SJaishankar, a former career diplomat, has made it clear since the start thatDelhi will focus on reverting G20 to itsreal business. While Delhi has walked a geopolitical tightrope over the Ukraine conflict whose discourse has loomed large on global realpolitik, its ability to deliver on G-20'sgeo-economic agenda will be tested as a trial of its stabilising rise in global affairs.

"The G20 is not the UN Security Council. It is not the primary forum to debate international peace and security," Jaishankar had said in March while referring to the crisis in Ukraine that began after Russia's President Vladimir Putin launched an offensive in February last year.

Throughout its period of presidency, New Delhi has walked a geopolitical tightrope: showing willingness to assist Ukraine via humanitarian means and demanding dialogue between Kyiv and Moscow, and at the same time, pointing out that its presidency will remain "non-committal" to give Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky a platform to air his concerns.

As the week closed on, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview with Press Trust of India, separately pointed out the urgent needfor reform of the United Nations to match the changing geo-economic realities of the world and ensure representation of voices that matter.

"A mid-20th century approach cannot serve the world in the 21st century. So, our international institutions need to recognise changing realities, expand their decision-making forums, relook at their priorities and ensure representation of voices that matter," Modi said.

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