Take Credible Decisions to Salvage Global Economy: PM
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday left for the G-20 summit in London, where he is expected to meet US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the summit that will focus on the global financial meltdown. It will be the first meeting between the two leaders since President Obama took over the Oval Office in January this year.
Before embarking on the visit, Premier Singh said his meeting with the US President will provide an opportunity to review bilateral ties and discuss key regional and global issues including terrorism and the situation in Afghanistan.
Singh said besides bilateral talks with host and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, “I am also looking forward to my meeting with the US President.”
This is the first overseas engagement Premier Singh is undertaking since he went under the scalpel for a coronary bypass surgery over two months ago,
Expressing optimism Singh said that his meeting with Obama on Thursday will provide an opportunity “for us to review our bilateral relations as well as hold discussions on important regional and global issues such as terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan, energy security and climate change”.
Singh, who is scheduled to attend the second meeting of G-20 leaders, said the grouping had an important role to play in addressing the global economic and financial slowdown by taking coordinated and purposeful action.
He also underlined the need to undertake effective measures to provide emerging and developing countries with adequate resources to combat effects of global slowdown on their economies.
“It is important and necessary for the Summit to take credible decisions which will help to halt and reverse the current slowdown and to instill a sense of confidence in the global economy,” he said.
“It is an unfortunate reality that the effects of the slowdown have spread across the world, and developing countries, particularly those in Africa, are facing its worst consequences,” said the Prime Minister.
