MOSCOW – India expects the decision on the African Union’s membership in the G20 group to be made at the upcoming New Delhi summit this weekend, Foreign Secretary of India Vinay Kwatra said on Friday, reported Sputnik.
"There is a strong effort by all the countries, all the delegations present to move towards the consensus with regard to the African Union. Our sherpa has already said that honourable [Indian] Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] wrote a letter to all countries of the G20 proposing that the African Union be included as a full member of the G20. We expect that the summit proceedings starting tomorrow morning will take suitable decision on it." Kwatra told a briefing.
Meanwhile, in a separate report, European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday that he was looking forward to welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20, adding that he was proud of the European Union's contribution to the issue.
On Thursday, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that the G20 countries had agreed to grant permanent membership status to the African Union, and that the decision would be announced during the G20's summit in India, due to take place from September 9-10.
"Can we shift our fundamental mindset for the benefit of all humanity? I believe we can ... So I would like first to thank Prime Minister Modi and India for their leadership over the past year, and for their priorities. I look forward to welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20, and I am proud that the EU reacted immediately in a positive way to support this candidature," Michel said in a statement issued in advance of the G20 summit in the Indian capital of New Delhi.
The president also emphasised his hopes that the G20 gathering would focus on issues of the global financial system, climate change, global health and address the Ukrainian crisis and corresponding developments in grain initiative.
The African Union, founded in 2001, is a continental bloc with 55 member states. After accession to the G20, it will become the second regional bloc to have joined the forum after the European Union, which has been a full member since its foundation. – Sputnik, September 8, 2023
