Shikara rides, tourism talks: G20 meet sets sail in Srinagar
As many as 61 participants, including delegates from 19 of the G20 nations, mark their attendance
India hosted a tourism working group meeting of the G20 in Srinagar on Monday, one of the biggest international events held in Jammu & Kashmir since the nullification of Article 370 in August 2019, and one that served as a reiteration on the global stage of the region being an integral part of the country.
Though China skipped the meeting, delegates and officials from G20 members, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU), attended the inaugural events at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the banks of Dal Lake.
Some members of the grouping of the world’s largest economies and guest countries invited by India to be part of the G20 process this year, such as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, were represented by officials from their embassies in New Delhi instead of representatives from the capitals, people familiar with the matter said. Private tour operators also represented some countries, including Turkey, the people added.
India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said the tourism working group meeting in Kashmir has had an overwhelming response. “Normally, in any meeting and event, four to five countries do not come for various reasons... but here in Kashmir, we had an outstanding response. Sixty-one participants from 29 countries, and one country not coming, is a very good response. So, we are looking forward to very positive and fruitful discussions [on Tuesday],” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already said that the recommendations on tourism from the working group will be action-oriented and a lot of this will emerge from the meeting in Kashmir, he said. Some countries are being represented by their private sector, he added.
“Travel and tourism are totally private sector activities, and so travel operators have come from different countries. There are 61 government representatives from different countries. [Some] countries wanted to join in a hybrid way but we wanted physical participation,” he said. During the meeting, the participants will discuss the “Goa road map for tourism as a vehicle for achievable development goals”, and the G20 ministerial declaration from Monday evening to Wednesday.
Jammu & Kashmir’s lieutenant governor (LG) Manoj Sinha described the event as a “historic opportunity” for the Union territory’s 13 million residents to showcase their culture, heritage and hospitality India organised G20-related events in Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh to showcase normalcy and development in these areas and to negate territorial claims by other countries. Pakistan has objected to the holding of such meetings in Kashmir, one of the reasons behind China’s decision to boycott the event in Srinagar. China also stayed away from a G20 event in Arunachal Pradesh.
Jitendra Singh, the Union minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, said the holding of the meeting in Srinagar was an achievement of sorts. He targeted Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism in Kashmir. “I am sure the delegates coming from other places will be able to falsify the kind of narrative that is sought to be created either by certain vested interests or some selfstyled cynics,” he said.