G20 Summit: Who is arriving in India and when?

The G20 Summit is set to take place this weekend at the new Bharat Mandapam complex in Pragati Maidan, and as a result, New Delhi is currently under heavy security.

According to sources reported by news agency ANI, a list of Union Ministers charged with welcoming foreign leaders to the summit was released on Thursday.

More than 30 head of state representatives, including those from the European Union, invited guest nations, and 14 heads of international institutions, will be in attendance at the global event.

Also read: PM Modi-Biden bilateral ahead of G20 Summit: What will the two leaders discuss?

Ministers receiving world leaders

US president Joe Biden will be welcomed by Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh when he arrives on Friday at 6.55 pm (tentative time). The 80-year-old leader is anticipated to hold a bilateral meeting with PM Modi at his residence.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will arrive in Delhi at 1:40 PM. Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Ashwini Kumar Choubey will be greeting him.

Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan, will also be welcomed by Minister Choubey when he arrives in India at 2.15 pm.

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina will be welcomed in New Delhi by Darshana Jardosh, the minister of state for railways, when she arrives at 12.30 pm today.

China’s premier Li Qiang, who is attending the G20 Summit on behalf of the Chinese president, will also be welcomed by Minister VK Singh and is scheduled to arrive in the National Capital at 7.45 pm today.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology will welcome Australian PM Anthony Albanese when he arrives on Friday at 6:15 pm.

French president Emmanuel Macron is due to land in New Delhi on Saturday at 12:35 pm. Anupriya Patel, the minister of state for commerce and industry, will welcome him. The President is likely to meet PM Modi over lunch on Sunday after the conclusion of the G20 Summit, according to PTI.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz will arrive on Saturday at 8 am, and Minister of State for MSME Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma will greet him.

When HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE, arrives in the National Capital today at 8 pm, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai will welcome him.

Justin Trudeau, the Canadian PM, is scheduled to arrive at 7 pm. When he arrives, MoS Chandrasekhar will greet him.

President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol will be welcomed by MoS Chandrasekhar, at 5.10 pm, reported CNBC-TV18.

Union Minister L Murugan will welcome the Singaporean delegates.

Azali Assoumani, the president of the African Union, is expected to arrive at 10.25 am, while Egypt president Abdel Fattah will arrive at 5.45 pm. The Netherlands PM Mark Rutte will reach New Delhi at 8:15 pm, and Brazilian president Lula Da Silva will do so at 8:45 pm.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to arrive at 11.45 am. Naledi Pandor, minister of international relations and cooperation, will accompany him.

Saudi Arabian crown prince and PM Mohammad Bin Salman Al-Saud is due in India at 4:50 pm, while Joko Widodo, the president of Indonesia, is due in New Delhi at 9:15 pm.

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will arrive around 10:15 pm.

Spanish president Sanchez Perez Castejon has tested positive for COVID-19. Sanchez posted on X (formerly Twitter) that although he was “fine,” he would not be able to go to India. Additionally, he stated that acting First Vice President Nadia Calvino and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares will represent Spain at the Leaders’ Summit.

Also read: What is the G20 and why is it important?

Leaders who have arrived in India

On 5 September, Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in New Delhi and was greeted by SP Singh Baghel, the minister of health.

Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth was welcomed by Shripad Y Naik, the union minister for ports, shipping, and waterways, upon his arrival in India on Thursday.

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni arrived in Delhi today, according to ANI sources, and was welcomed by Shobha Karadlaje, the minister of state for agriculture.

Argentina’s president Alberto Fernandez arrived early on Friday morning in Delhi for the Summit. Faggan Singh Kulaste, the minister of state for rural development and steel, welcomed him.

On Thursday, Prahalad Singh Patel, Minister of Jal Shakti and Minister of Food Processing Industries, welcomed Charles Michel, President of the European Council, at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, also arrived in the National Capital and was welcomed by MoS Anupriya Singh Patel.

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Director General, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, arrived in the National Capital on Thursday evening to take part in the G20 Summit.

For the G20 Summit, Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, has also arrived.

Other world leaders have arrived in the country for the G20 Summit in Delhi, including Mathias Cormann, Secretary General of the OECD and Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez, Minister of Economy of Mexico.

Also read: G20 Summit 2023: What are the curbs in Delhi? What remains open?

PM Modi provides guidance to ministers

Ahead of the crucial G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday gave instructions to his ministers regarding the conduct expected during the high-profile event.

When receiving dignitaries, he also advised his colleagues to be well-dressed in Indian attire to reflect the nation’s cultural diversity. Along with this, he also advised them to adopt a humble and simple attitude, according to News18.

To prevent the visiting dignitaries from being inconvenienced, he asked them to stay in the National Capital throughout the Summit and to complete any tasks that had been assigned to them.

In addition, ministers were advised to use a “shuttle service” rather than their official vehicles to get to the main location, the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex or the Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan in the heart of Delhi, as well as other meeting locations.

The G20 India mobile app should be downloaded and used to its fullest when communicating with foreign dignitaries, according to insiders at the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss PM Modi’s advice.

Every language spoken in India as well as those spoken by G20 countries can be instantly translated using the smartphone app.

With inputs from agencies