<span style="color: #222222;">The formal meeting of the G20 Foreign Ministers under India's Presidency began at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in New Delhi today. In his opening remarks at the meeting this morning, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar underscored the need to find common ground for the challenges posed by the covid pandemic, fragile supply chains, ongoing conflicts, debt crises and the disruption of climate events. He said that there were some matters of sharp differences of opinions and views about these global crises, but member countries must find common ground and provide direction because that is what the world expects of us.<br />''<br />''Dr. S Jaishankar highlighted the need for reforms in the United Nations. He said that the current global architecture is in its eighth decade and the number of members of the United Nations has quadrupled in this period. He said, it neither reflects current politics, economics, demographics or aspirations. He said that global decision-making must be democratized.<br />''<br />''Talking about the agenda for G20 Foreign Ministers' discussions, the External Affairs Minister said, it includes the challenges of food, fertilizers and fuel security. He said, these are truly make-or-break issues for developing countries and such issues should not be relegated to the periphery of the international discourse. Terming these issues crucial to the global economy, he said, these must be central to any decision making. He said the world must also strive for more reliable and resilient supply chains. Highlighting the country's role in contributing to global solutions, he said, India has undertaken development projects in 78 countries and has actively encouraged exchanges and capability building. He said, during the Covid pandemic, India made a conscious effort at contributing to global solutions.<br />''<br />''Dr. S Jaishankar said that all the member countries of G20 had an obligation to contribute to international growth and prosperity. He said, they are implemented through sustainable partnerships and goodwill initiatives. He said, the G20 must be sensitive to the priorities and economic concerns of all the partners. He said, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity are essential guiding principles for such cooperation.<br />''<br />''Earlier, dignitaries observed a minute of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria.<br />''<br />''External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar is chairing the first sessions of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Discussion is underway on contemporary challenges around multilateralism, food and energy security and development cooperation. The second session will focus on new and emerging threats including counter-terrorism and narcotics, global skill mapping, and focus on global talent pools. </span><br />