G20 Summit 2023: India made a significant achievement with the inclusion of African Union (AU) in the G20 during day 1 of the high-profile summit on Saturday. In his first reaction to the decision, AU chairperson Azali Assoumani on Sunday expressed his satisfaction and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the move. “To my great satisfaction, admission of African Union was approved during the G20 Summit Delhi. PM Modi and other members endorsed the accession of the African Union to this major economic decision-making body,” said Assoumani during a press conference on the sidelines of the summit.
He also said that it was an honour to represent the African Union in the G20 Summit held in New Delhi and take part in the “fruitful debate” in the two days. Describing his emotions when PM Modi offered him to take the seat as a permanent representative of G20, Assoumani told news agency ANI that he was “about to cry”.
“It was a great emotion for me. Because actually, we thought that there was going to be a debate and then a decision would be taken but at the very beginning of the Summit it was announced that we were a member,” he said.