"India Right Country At The Right Time To Host G20": UK PM Rishi Sunak

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said G20 has been a huge success for India and it is the "right country at the right time to be hosting this".

The UK PM said that he will make sure that the G20 under India's presidency is successful.

"I'm very keen to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will make sure that this G20 is an enormous success for India, which I know it will be and this has been a great year for India more generally," he said.

"G20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this. I feel we are going to have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made," the British Prime Minister added, highlighting that the coming two days will witness hectic deliberations.

Emphasizing that various issues are on the agenda at the G20 under India's leadership, he said: "I'm confident that we'll make very good progress on a range of different issues."

Referring to the theme of the 18th G20 Summit "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" which translates to "One Earth, One Family, One Future", Rishi Sunak said: "I think it's a great theme. I am an example of the incredible living bridge that Prime Minister Modi described between the UK and India."

On the India-UK Free Trade Agreement, Mr Sunak said, "Well, I think the bilateral relationship is in good health and Prime Minister Modi and I are keen to deepen and broaden our relationship. The FTA is an obvious way for us to do that which is why it remains our priority and as I said there is hard work to go. But I hope we can conclude a successful FTA."

Both countries have held 12 rounds of talks for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA). It was held from August 8 to August 31 and was conducted in a hybrid fashion. A number of UK officials travelled to Delhi for negotiations and others attended virtually.

The thirteenth round of negotiations is due to take place in September.

The India-UK bilateral trading relationship was worth 34 billion pounds in 2022, growing by 10 billion pounds (Rs 102 crore) in one year, according to official UK government statistics.

The British Prime Minister said almost two million people of Indian origin live in the UK.

"So, it's very special for me to be here as British Prime Minister in the country where my family is from," he said.

Mr Sunak arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit being held on September 9 and September 10. He was accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty.

Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ashwini Kumar Choubey received Mr Sunak and his wife at the airport.

A group of dancers performed a traditional dance to welcome Sunak and his wife. It is Rishi Sunak's first visit to India as Prime Minister since he assumed office in October last year.

Ahead of his arrival in Delhi, Rishi Sunak said that he is heading to the G20 Summit with a clear focus, which includes stabilising the global economy, building international ties, and supporting the most vulnerable.

"I'm heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that - Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine," Mr Sunak said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"At the summit, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the world's most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putin's war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy," UK Prime Minister's Office said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Rishi Sunak on September 9 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, sources said.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May this year and discussed the India-UK free trade agreement, innovation, and science along with ways to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

The two countries are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement and the talks started in 2022.

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.

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

One of the takeaways of India's G20 presidency is the revolutionization of Digital Payment Infrastructure, as very few knew about it initially, but it has been taken forward extensively, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)