US conveys full support to India's upcoming G20 Presidency in December

The United States has conveyed its full support to India's upcoming G20 Presidency, starting December 1 this year till November 2023.

India and the US held the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington with the Indian side led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the American side was represented by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday.

The joint statement issued after the fourth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue stated "the United States conveyed its full support to India's upcoming G20 Presidency from December 2022 to November 2023". In this context, the Ministers reiterated their commitment to work closely on international security, social, and economic issues of global interest and impact, added the statement.

Earlier, on Thursday, responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha on the manner in which India is preparing to assume the responsibility of the Presidency of G20 this year in December, the Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh had elaborated upon the role of India as the G-20 Presidency and responsibilities and power the position would bring for the country.

"As the G20 Presidency, India will set the agenda for the year, identify the themes and focus areas, conduct discussions and work out outcome documents. The G20 Secretariat will be responsible for a smooth transition from the previous Presidency, preparations and conduct," the Minister of State had said.

He said the hosting of the G20 deliberations would also result in "economic opportunities in different sectors such as tourism, hospitality, IT and civil aviation among others, during our Presidency year".

"India will be in a position to identify, highlight, develop and strengthen international support for priorities of vital importance to developing countries in diverse social and economic sectors, ranging from energy, agriculture, trade, digital economy, health and environment to employment, tourism, anti-corruption and women empowerment, including in focus areas that impact the most vulnerable and disadvantaged," he had said.