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India PM Modi urges UN to rethink priorities for the 21st century

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a press conference at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, on August 25, 2023. (Photo by Reuters)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on the United Nations to make reforms in the international body to be ready for modern-day realities, according to an interview.

Modi told the Press Trust of India news agency in an interview published on Sunday that the international body must ensure the representation of voices that matter.

“Mid-20th century approach cannot serve the world in the 21st century, … International institutions need to recognize changing realities, relook at their priorities.”

“India’s G20 presidency also sowed seeds of confidence in countries of the so-called third world,” Modi, who will host a summit of the Group of 20 (G20) big economies from next weekend, added.

He also called for global cooperation in fighting cybercrime, saying, “Terrorists using the dark net, metaverse, crypto-currency to fulfill nefarious aims can have implications for the social fabric of nations.”

Modi, leader of the world’s most populous country, has in the past voiced Delhi’s aspirations to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

He is seeking to boost India’s status and promote its causes, using the global pulpit of the G20 summit.

The two-day G20 Summit which will be held at the Bharat Mandapam Convention Center at Pragati Maidan in Delhi on September 9 and 10, will draw leaders and delegates from 40 countries, including the 20 member states.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who held a rare meeting with Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa late last month, will reportedly not be attending the G20 summit in Delhi.

Two Indian officials, one diplomat based in China, and one official working for the government of another G20 country said Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to represent Beijing at the upcoming Delhi Summit.

US President Joe Biden said on Sunday he is “disappointed” about the reports that Xi will likely skip this week’s G20 summit in India.

“I am disappointed, but I am going to see him,” Biden told reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Del., when asked about Xi not attending the G20 summit.

Biden did not clarify where he planned to see Xi in the future.

The White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden and the other world leaders would discuss a wide range of topics at the G20 summit, including the global economy, the war in Ukraine, climate change, and poverty.


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