The African Union (AU) has officially assumed its position as a new entrant to the G20 this weekend, following a warm invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This expansion of the group marks a significant diplomatic achievement for Modi, who is gearing up for next year’s national elections. He strategically used the hosting privileges of this year’s summit to enhance his reputation as a global statesman.
Before delivering his inaugural speech, Modi warmly embraced the President of the African Union and President of Comoros, Azali Assoumani.
“India has proposed granting the African Union permanent membership status within the G20. I believe we have unanimous consent for this,” Modi stated in his opening address to the assembly.
With consensus among the gathered leaders, he urged the leader of the African Union to occupy a permanent seat within the G20, concluding the event with a ceremonial gavel strike.
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Following the invitation of Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, Assoumani took his place among the assembly of world leaders.
Recent years have seen increasing difficulties in reaching a consensus among G20 members, with deeply rooted divisions over the Ukrainian conflict.
In his opening remarks, Modi emphasized a crucial issue: “The world is grappling with a significant trust deficit. The ongoing war has only exacerbated this deficit of mutual trust. Just as we successfully fought Covid, we can also overcome this crisis of trust among nations.”