NEW DELHI: With the US set to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, its ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said he cannot confirm whether President Joe Biden will attend the India-led virtual G20 Leaders Summit which will take place on Wednesday.
“With the Thanksgiving around the corner, we are not sure whether he will be able to take part in the virtual summit on November 22nd,” Ambassador Garcetti told this newspaper. Garcetti’s statement came a day after the Russian media confirmed that President Vladimir Putin will attend the virtual summit. The Russian president had skipped the New Delhi G20 Summit in September, which was held in-person.
A virtual summit was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the closing session of the New Delhi G20 Summit on September 10. The prime minister had announced that India will host the virtual meet before its G20 presidency ends on November 30. The precise date for the summit was announced by the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday. “The Virtual Summit will take forward key, select outcomes/action points from the New Delhi Summit as well as review developments since then,” the MEA said in a statement.
Commenting on the India-US ties, Garcetti said they are much stronger than before – across the spectrum, including the defence partnership. “Our defence relations have become fortified at three levels. The first is in the development of technology, the second is in the sales of weapons and the third is operational strategies. We are co-developing GE engines. We are friendly, trusted and committed,” Garcetti said.