‘G20 has been a huge success for India’, says British PM Rishi Sunak as he arrives in Delhi with wife Akshata Murty

G20 Summit in Delhi: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said G20 has been a huge success for India and it is the "right country at the right time to be hosting this".

The UK PM said that he will make sure that the G20 under India's presidency achieves success.

"I'm very keen to support Prime Minister Modi and making sure that this G20 is an enormous success for India which I know it will be and this has been a great year for India more generally," he said.

"G20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this. I feel we are going to have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made," the British Prime Minister added while highlighting that the coming two days will witness hectic deliberations.

Emphasizing that various issues are on the agenda at the G20 under India's leadership. He said: "I'm confident that we'll make very good progress on a range of different issues."

Referring to the theme of the 18th G20 Summit "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" which translates to "One Earth, One Family, One Future", UK PM Sunak said: "I think it's a great theme. I am an example of the incredible living bridge that Prime Minister Modi described between the UK and India."

Mentioning the progress to be made on the India-UK Free Trade Agreement, Sunak said, "Well I think the bilateral relationship is in good health and Prime Minister Modi and I are keen to deepen and broaden our relationship. The FTA is an obvious way for us to do that which is why it remains our priority and as I said there is hard work to go. But I hope we can conclude a successful FTA.

Meanwhile, India and the UK have held 12 rounds of talks for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA). It was held on August 8-31 and was conducted in a hybrid fashion. A number of UK officials travelled to Delhi for negotiations and others attended virtually.

The thirteenth round of negotiations is due to take place in September.

The India-UK bilateral trading relationship was worth Pound 34 billion in 2022, growing by Pound 10 billion (Rs 102 crore) in one year, according to official UK government statistics.

The British Prime Minister said almost two million people of Indian origin live in the UK. "So, it's very special for me to be here as British Prime Minister in the country where my family is from," he said.

Sunak arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit being held on September 9 and 10. He is accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty.

"I'm heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that - Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine," Sunak said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Rishi Sunak on September 9 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, sources said.