“G20 Johannesburg summit affirmed India’s stature and PM Modi’s status”, First Post, November 25, 2025
“South Africa’s G20 Summit in Johannesburg, the first ever hosted in Africa, concluded with far more calm diplomacy and goodwill than expected. South Africa worked with determination, upholding its theme of “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability” and building on the legacy of India’s and Brazil’s preceding chairmanships. Despite geopolitical tensions and the unprecedented absence of the United States, the summit avoided confrontation and moved forward with an agenda anchored in the priorities of the Global South.
India’s Prominent Role and Modi as Senior Statesman
Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerged as one of the most active leaders in Johannesburg. With Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping absent, PM Modi was the senior-most statesman present and played the role with confidence. He held multiple bilateral meetings, including with Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, Italy’s Giorgio Meloni and South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung.
PM Modi also participated in two significant trilaterals. The first was a long-awaited revival of the IBSA (India–Brazil–South Africa) forum, where he, President Lula da Silva and President Cyril Ramaphosa projected a unified Global South voice inside the G20. The second was a new trilateral Technology, Innovation and AI Partnership with Canada and Australia—three democracies spanning three continents and three oceans……”
Read full article at firstpost.com
