Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit scheduled to be held under India’s Presidency on September 9-10.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shobha Karandlaje welcomed Meloni at the airport.

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Earlier this March, Meloni had visited India to attend the eighth edition of the Raisina Dialogue. During her visit, she held a bilateral meeting with PM Modi in New Delhi. The two leaders decided to elevate the India-Italy partnership to the level of strategic partnership.

India and Italy are ancient civilizations with trade ties for over 2000 years. Political relations between India and Italy were established in 1947.

The G20 Summit is being held at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan in the national capital.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. This is the first time that a G20 Summit is taking place under India’s presidency.

The Group of Twenty (G20) was formed in 1999 to maintain global financial stability by incorporating middle-income countries. The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. It plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.

The G20 grouping comprises 19 countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States along with the European Union.

Currently, G20 members account for more than 80 per of the world’s GDP, 75 per cent of global trade, and 60 per cent of the global population.

The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

A G20 Leaders’ Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating Leaders’ commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. The next G20 presidency is going to be taken over by Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025.