New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed world leaders including US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday morning at ‘Bharat Mandapam’, the venue of the G20 summit here. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director and Chair Kristalina Georgieva and World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala were among the first to arrive at the newly constructed venue at Pragati Maidan.
Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese, President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez and Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni were also warmly welcomed by Modi. Prime Minister Modi welcomed Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as well as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the President of Argentina with a hug.
Brazil will take over the next presidency of G20. Lula has come with his wife and Brazil’s first lady Rosangela da Silva. A red carpet was laid to welcome the world leaders, with national flags lined up along the path and various yoga asanas depicted on the walls. A replica of the famous 13th century artwork Konark Chakra has been installed just behind the place where Modi welcomed the world leaders. This circle is considered a symbol of time, progress and constant change.
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Prime Minister Modi was seen explaining the grandeur of Konark Chakra to the US President. Sunak greeted PM Modi by saying Namaste. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korean President Cyril Ramaphosa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also reached Bharat Mandapam.
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China’s Prime Minister Li Qian, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Netherlands’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil al-Sisi, Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister Sayyed Prime Minister Modi also welcomed Assad bin Tariq Al Said and Spain’s First Vice President Nadia Calvino.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday welcomed the world leaders by shaking hands when they reached ‘Bharat Mandapam’, the venue of the G20 summit, and during this, in the background, a replica of the Konark Chakra of the Sun Temple in Puri, Odisha graced the welcome venue. Konark Chakra was built in the 13th century during the reign of King Narasimhadev-I. This wheel with a total of 24 spokes is also depicted in the tricolor. This Chakra is a symbol of India’s ancient knowledge, advanced civilization and architectural excellence. The rotation of this wheel symbolizes progress and continuous change along with the ‘Kalachakra’. It is a powerful symbol of the wheel of democracy, showing the flexibility of democratic ideals and commitment to progress in society.
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Tags: G20 Summit, Joe Biden, PM Modi
FIRST PUBLISHED : September 09, 2023, 12:45 IST
