World full of conflict in no one’s interest: Modi

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, October 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that “a world full of conflict and confrontation is in no one’s interest”. Speaking at the inauguration of the Parliament-20 Summit, Modi stressed that “this is the time of peace and brotherhood, a time to move together”. Modi also stated that terrorism has no justification.

Modi’s remarks came at a time when Israel is bombarding Gaza strip in the aftermath of attacks by Hamas, which left more than 1200 Israelis dead. Israel has served a 24-hour notice to the United Nations to ask the Palestinians in the northern parts of Gaza to leave, while Tel Aviv gears for a ground action.

Referring to the interconnected nature of the world, the prime minister said: “A world full of conflict and confrontation is in no one’s interest. A divided world cannot provide solutions to the major challenges facing humanity. This is the time of peace and brotherhood, a time to move together.”

Underlying that the world is battling a trust deficit, Modi stressed the philosophy of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, which has been a theme during the Indian presidency of the G20 this year. “This is a time for growth and well-being of all. We have to overcome the global trust crisis and move forward with human-centric thinking. We have to look at the world in the spirit of One Earth, One Family, One Future,” said Modi.

He also underlined the importance of wider participation in global decision-making, adding that this guided the induction of the African Union in the G20. It may be recalled that Modi had told Russian President Vladimir Putin that “this is not an era of war” in his bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit last year in the backdrop of Russia-Ukraine War.

The prime minister inaugurated the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi today. The summit is being hosted by the Parliament of India under the broader framework of India’s G20 Presidency with the theme of ‘Parliaments for One Earth, One Family, One Future’.

“The Summit is a ‘Maha Kumbh’ of all Parliamentary practices from across the globe”, the Prime Minister remarked. Underlining that all the delegates present today hold the experience of the Parliamentary framework from different countries,” said Modi.

Speaking about Rigveda, India’s oldest scripture, the prime minister recited a Sanskrit shloka which means ‘We must walk together, speak together and that our minds must be conjoined’.

In line with the theme of India’s G20 Presidency, the theme of the 9th P20 Summit is ‘Parliaments for One Earth, One Family, One Future’. Speakers of Parliaments of G20 members and invitee countries attended the event. The Pan-African Parliament also took part in the P20 Summit for the first time after the African Union became a member of G20 at the New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit on 9-10 September 2023.

The thematic sessions during this P20 Summit will focus on the following four subjects – Transformation in People’s Lives through Public Digital Platforms; Women-led development; Accelerating SDGs; and Sustainable Energy Transition.

A pre-summit Parliamentary Forum on LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) was also held on 12 October 2023 to deliberate upon initiatives towards a greener and sustainable future in harmony with nature.