Bangladesh sees its series of engagements with the Group of Twenty (G20) under India’s Presidency this year as a “big honour” for the country.
“We will raise our issues there. It is a big honour for us. We should be prudent,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, noting that Bangladesh is the only South Asian country invited by the host.
The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for international economic cooperation, which plays an “important role” in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.
India holds the Presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023.
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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been invited to attend the 18th G20 Heads of States and Governments Summit, which will take place during September 9-10 this year in New Delhi.
Momen said Hasina will be attending the Summit in New Delhi in September.
India has invited Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as guest countries to its meetings and summit, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, India.
Apart from the G20 leaders, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Oman Head of State Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have been invited to the G20 Summit.
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Meanwhile, Momen will attend the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on March 1-2.
Hasina paid a state visit to India from September 5 to 8 last year at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
Ahead of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister’s visits, Vinay Kwatra will be in Dhaka in the third week of February to have bilateral talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Masud Bin Momen, said a diplomatic source.
Kwatra assumed charge as foreign secretary on May 1 last year.
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The two-day first G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group meeting under the G20 Indian Presidency began on January 30 in Chandigarh.
The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises 19 countries - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom and United States and the European Union.
The G20 members represent around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
Source: United News of Bangladesh