India to host virtual G20 summit Wednesday; Trudeau to attend
Deccan ChronicleNew Delhi: Against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a virtual summit of G20 leaders on Wednesday which would be attended by the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. With Ottawa confirming Trudeau's participation in the summit, this would be the first time he would come face to face with Prime Minister Modi, albeit virtually, after ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Trudeau's allegations in September of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. While Putin's participation in the virtual meeting has also been confirmed by the Kremlin, China on Tuesday had announced that Premier Li Qiang will attend the virtual G20 Leaders' Summit at India's invitation. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday ahead of the summit, India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said the deliberations will witness "excellent participation" from leaders of the grouping. Kant described the virtual summit as "rare and exceptional" which would give Modi an opportunity to interact with world leaders for a second time during India's G20 Presidency before it passes on to Brazil in December.