ISLAMABAD: As China has already expressed opposition to the G20 Working Group on Tourism meeting in the internationally recognized disputed territory of occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the government of India has acknowledged that other key members such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt have also not confirmed their participation in the event.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Modi government has stated that Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt have not confirmed their presence, indicating that they will also boycott the meeting.
Arvind Singh, the Indian Tourism Secretary, met the media in Delhi and said that out of the G20 member countries, China, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia have not confirmed their participation. Egypt, among the other invited countries, has not yet registered, according to Singh.
India to host G20 summit in Srinagar
China later said that it would not participate. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang Wenbin, said that China is firmly opposed to holding any kind of G20 meeting in disputed territory and will not attend such meetings.
Egypt is a special invitee this year, following China, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia as G20 members. Several renowned Indian journalists, including Rana Ayyub, questioned Modi’s government ploy.
Modi’s government is attempting to deceive the world by having an international event in IIOJK following the abolition of the formerly disputed area’s special status and an amendment to Article 370 in August 2019, which received international outrage.
According to the Hindu, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are all members of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which has been critical of India’s developments in IIOJK. Fernand de Varennes, the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, has criticized the event in Srinagar as an attempt to “normalize” human rights crimes.
