New Delhi- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said it is natural for India to hold G20 meetings in every part of its territory as he dismissed Chinese objections over some of the events being organised in Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh.
As part of its efforts to showcase India’s cultural and regional diversity at a global stage, the Modi government has hosted G20 events across the country’s length and breadth.
China, a G20 member, and Pakistan, which is not a member of the bloc, had objected to the decision to hold one of the events in Kashmir.
China also disputes India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh. India has already dismissed claims by China and Pakistan.
“Such a question would be valid if we had refrained from conducting meetings in those venues. Ours is such a vast, beautiful and diverse nation. When G20 meetings are happening, isn’t it natural that meetings will be held in every part of our country,” Modi said in an inclusive interview to PTI late last week.
India held the third G20 working group meeting on tourism for three days from May 22 in Srinagar.
Delegates of all G20 countries, barring China, visited the picturesque Valley for the event. A large number of delegates had also visited Arunachal Pradesh in March for a G20 event.
Dismissing Chinese claims, India had then said that it is free to hold meetings on its own territory.
By the time India’s G20 presidency term ends, Modi said, over 220 meetings would have taken place across 60 cities in all 28 states and eight union territories, and added that over one lakh participants from around 125 nationalities would witness the skills of Indians.
He made a renewed pitch for diversity in the energy mix, saying there is no one-size-fits-all solution for a world looking to transition from fossil fuels to cleaner sources like solar and hydrogen.
India, the world’s third-largest energy consumer, has repeatedly stressed on energy transition being just and orderly and nations having a free hand in decisions on the pathway based on the availability of resources.
“Our principle is simple – diversity is our best bet, whether in society or in terms of our energy mix,” he said here ahead of the G20 summit. “There are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Given the different pathways countries are on, our pathways for energy transition will be different.” Coal, oil and gas make up for almost two-thirds of the world’s energy consumption. And replacing them can’t happen overnight.
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