INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
China&s President Xi Jinping and Russia&s Vladimir Putin skipping this week&s G20 summit in New Delhi is not unusual and has nothing to do
with India, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told the ANI news agency.Sherpas of the G20 countries are negotiating to build a
consensus and arrive at a declaration at the Sept
9-10 summit in New Delhi, Jaishankar said in the interview, which was aired on Wednesday.&No, no
I do not think it has anything to do with India,& he told ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake, when asked if Putin and Xi are
skipping the summit because they are miffed with India.&I think whatever decision they make, I mean they would know best
But I would not at all see it the way you would suggest,& he said.Asked if their absence would affect building a consensus and producing a
declaration at the end of the summit, Jaishankar said: &We are negotiating right now…the clock did not start ticking yesterday.&But
expectations from G20 are &very high& and New Delhi faces the challenge of dealing with a &very difficult world& reeling under the impact of
the pandemic, conflict, climate change, debt and politics, he said.G20 groups the 20 major economies of the world and its leaders aim to try
and find solutions to some of the world&s pressing problems although a deep geopolitical divide over the war in Ukraine that threatens any
progress.But the absence of Putin and Xi as well as divisions over the war mean it would be difficult to arrive at a consensus Leaders
Declaration at the summit, analysts and officials have said.U.S
President Joe Biden will focus on reforming the World Bank and urging other multilateral development banks to boost lending for climate
change and infrastructure projects during the summit, the White House said on Tuesday.Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he
hopes to discuss digital issues and food security
India has said discussions are underway on a global framework to regulate crypto assets, Reuters reported.The post Xi, Putin missing G20
summit not unusual, India&s foreign minister says first appeared on Ariana News.
