Turkey, Saudi yet to register for Srinagar G20, China says not interested in disputed territory
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New Delhi: Three prominent countries in the G20 group, China, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, have reportedly not registered for the upcoming G20 tourism working group meeting scheduled to begin in Srinagar on Monday. The absence of these nations raises concerns about their participation and their stance on holding the meeting in the disputed territory.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, in a statement from Beijing, expressed China's strong opposition to holding any form of G20 meetings on disputed territory. He emphasized that China would not attend such meetings. However, there has been no official word from Turkey or Saudi Arabia regarding their absence.
Despite this setback, Union Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh has announced that the registration window will remain open until the morning of May 22, providing a last chance for these countries to register for the three-day event.
Officials have confirmed that delegates from the remaining G20 member countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, have already signed up for the event.
Apart from G20 members, delegates from guest countries and various international organizations have also been invited to participate. These include Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates. Except for Egypt, all other countries have registered to send their delegates.
The G20 tourism working group meeting in Srinagar holds significant importance as it marks the first major international event in Jammu and Kashmir since the region was reorganized into two Union Territories in August 2019, with the revocation of its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution.
In addition to the core discussions, the event will also feature a major side event highlighting film tourism, which the Union Territory administration has been actively promoting in recent years. The inaugural day will focus on cultural events, followed by deliberations on the second day. An additional side event will showcase eco-tourism initiatives.
This will be the third meeting of the tourism working group, following the successful gatherings in Rann of Kutch and Siliguri/Darjeeling. The event will see the presence of Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, Minister of State Jitendra Singh, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, and G20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
