NEW DELHI: Handshake-and-hug diplomacy. But with subtle variations.
Prime Minister Modi personally greeted every head of state/government and other top invitees at the G20 Summit. There were 38 guests, and Modi spent 1 hour 10 minutes receiving each of them. He was the gracious host as he welcomed them, but the warmest hugs and the broadest smiles were for US President Joe Biden, British PM Rishi Sunak, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.
Guests made their way to the conference hall inside the newly-built Bharat Mandapam, passing through a corridor decked out with G20 nations’ and organisations’ flags. Modi received the guests in a special area, where the striking feature was a Konark Wheel.
The wheel received special attention when Biden, with whom Modi spent the most time, almost a full minute, arrived. The PM, walking hand in hand with the President, was seen explaining the wheel’s significance.
When Sunak approached, Modi first extended a hand and then hugged him, spending almost 45 seconds talking with the British PM. India-born World Bank chief Ajay Banga was also received warmly. The greeting was a namaste, but there was no mistaking the warmth. Modi greeted Saudi Arabia’s MBS with a hug.
Leaders of two countries with which India has, for very different reasons, a difficult relationship right now – China and Canada – were greeted pleasantly but formally. China’s premier Li Qiang, deputising for his boss Xi Jinpung, got a handshake and a smile as did Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, who, New Delhi reckons, is not as tough on Khalistanis as he should be.
Between the visibly warm welcomes and the formal ones were Modi’s gracious greetings for leaders such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (who wears an eye patch following an injury), Brazilian President Lula da Silva, who arrived with his wife Rosangela da Silva, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and – notably – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, standing in for Vladimir Putin.
Two other leaders got a big welcome. The African Union chairperson Azali Assoumani. The union was set to join the G20 grouping in a few hours, thanks directly to India’s efforts. The other leader was Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, among India’s special invitees at this edition of G20.
Prime Minister Modi personally greeted every head of state/government and other top invitees at the G20 Summit. There were 38 guests, and Modi spent 1 hour 10 minutes receiving each of them. He was the gracious host as he welcomed them, but the warmest hugs and the broadest smiles were for US President Joe Biden, British PM Rishi Sunak, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.
Guests made their way to the conference hall inside the newly-built Bharat Mandapam, passing through a corridor decked out with G20 nations’ and organisations’ flags. Modi received the guests in a special area, where the striking feature was a Konark Wheel.
The wheel received special attention when Biden, with whom Modi spent the most time, almost a full minute, arrived. The PM, walking hand in hand with the President, was seen explaining the wheel’s significance.
When Sunak approached, Modi first extended a hand and then hugged him, spending almost 45 seconds talking with the British PM. India-born World Bank chief Ajay Banga was also received warmly. The greeting was a namaste, but there was no mistaking the warmth. Modi greeted Saudi Arabia’s MBS with a hug.
Leaders of two countries with which India has, for very different reasons, a difficult relationship right now – China and Canada – were greeted pleasantly but formally. China’s premier Li Qiang, deputising for his boss Xi Jinpung, got a handshake and a smile as did Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, who, New Delhi reckons, is not as tough on Khalistanis as he should be.
Between the visibly warm welcomes and the formal ones were Modi’s gracious greetings for leaders such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (who wears an eye patch following an injury), Brazilian President Lula da Silva, who arrived with his wife Rosangela da Silva, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and – notably – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, standing in for Vladimir Putin.
Two other leaders got a big welcome. The African Union chairperson Azali Assoumani. The union was set to join the G20 grouping in a few hours, thanks directly to India’s efforts. The other leader was Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, among India’s special invitees at this edition of G20.