T20 Summit: Jaishankar says India adopted an unconventional approach to its G20 Presidency

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that India adopted an unconventinal approach to its G20 Presidency, making it more connected to the people. On the second day of the Think20 (T20) Summit in Mysuru was a virtual address by Jaishankar, followed by a high-level interaction with him.

Jaishankar while speaking about G20 said that there have been “some achievements, some work in progress, and some hope in progress.”

The T20 is the official Engagement Group of the G20 and works as as an “ideas bank” for the G20 by bringing together think tanks and high-level experts to brainstorm on various policy issues. 

Observer Research Foundation (ORF) is the T20 Secretariat during India’s Presidency of the G20.

During the session, Ambassador Sujan Chinoy, Chair, T20 India, described Jaishankar as “a remarkable leader who strides Indian foreign affairs like a colossus,” and as “a key architect of India’s robust foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

The External Affairs Minister said that with the G20 Leaders’ Summit 2023 a few days away, few points were really crucial with respect to the ongoing India's G20 Presidency. He stated that given the immense value of the G20 as an international grouping, “India must ensure a focus on the right issues and come up with an actionable consensus.”

EAM Jaishankar also said that it was needed for G20 to remain unified and cohesive, with “open discussion among all members, irrespective of their other affiliations.”

He said that the polarisation within the UN Security Council has also made G20 an important group than it otherwise would have been. 

EAM Jaishankar also stressed that early in its Presidency, “India decided it was important to be fair to countries not in the room, and to hear them.”

(With inputs from ANI)