WATCH: African Union chairperson Azali Assoumani takes seat as permanent member of G20

Shortly after being invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Azali Assoumani on Saturday joined the G20 high table after the Union became a permanent member of the bloc.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union (AU), Azali Assoumani takes his seat as the Union becomes a permanent member of the G20. pic.twitter.com/Sm25SD80n9

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2023

In a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, PM Modi is seen inviting the African Union (AU) chairperson to take his seat as the permanent member of the grouping. “With support from all of you, I invite African Union to join G20,” Modi said amid thunderous applause by world leaders at the summit. He is escorted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and is seen hugging PM Modi in the video before taking his seat next to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The G20 gathering is now expected to be renamed as G21 following the induction of the African Union.

#G20Summit 2023 LIVE Updates | #PMModi welcomes #AfricanUnion as a permanent member of #G20 | Get LIVE Updates here: https://t.co/iXw4zIBft0 #G20WithFirstpost pic.twitter.com/O5E9NvAjDW

— Firstpost (@firstpost) September 9, 2023

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In June, PM Modi wrote to the G-20 leaders pitching for according the African Union the full membership of the grouping at its New Delhi summit. Weeks later, the proposal was formally included in the draft communique for the summit during the third G-20 Sherpas meeting that took place in Karnataka’s Hampi in July. The African Union (AU) is an influential organisation comprising 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent. With inputs from agencies