FM to hold number of meetings on sidelines of G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Delhi

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will have a number of bilateral meetings including with his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on 1-2 March.

Talking to reporters at the Jatiya Press Club on Tuesday, Momen said he cannot tell all the names at this moment but there are meetings with his counterparts from France, Sweden and India in addition to his counterparts from two-three more countries.

Asked whether there is any planned meeting with US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken on the sidelines of G20, Momen said he will be travelling to the USA in April at the invitation of the US side where he will have the meeting.

The Foreign Minister is scheduled to leave for New Delhi on 1 March. The US Secretary of State will also travel to New Delhi on the same day to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the G-20 foreign ministers' meeting on March 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will be on a three-day visit to India to participate in the G2O Foreign Ministers' meeting in New Delhi from March 1-2, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The G20 foreign ministers' meeting will focus on strengthening multilateralism and deepening cooperation on food and energy security, sustainable development, counter-narcotics, global health, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and gender equality and women's empowerment.

India, holding G20 presidency, has invited Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as guest countries to its meetings and summit, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, India.

Apart from the G20 leaders, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Oman Head of State Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have been invited to the G20 Summit.

Under its presidency, India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings across the country this year.

In the G20 foreign ministers' meeting, Momen said, Bangladesh will put forward its views and suggestions including finding ways for stopping war and proper implementation of SDGs.

"We will present our views and suggestions. We want development in a peaceful environment," he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been invited to attend the 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit which will take place on 9-10 September this year in New Delhi.

Hasina paid a state visit to India from 5 to 8 September last year at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.