Mahendranagar, 9 September

A new member has been added to the G20, an intergovernmental organization of 19 large economies including the European Union. The African Union has been added as a permanent member of the group.

The President of G20 and Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, while expressing his welcome speech at the summit of the group, asked the president of the association, representing the African Union, Azali Assoumani, to take the seat along with the leaders of the group as a permanent member of the G20. "With everyone's approval, I request the head of the African Union to remain in his place as a permanent member of the G20," Prime Minister Modi said during his welcome speech.

With Prime Minister Modi's request, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar took the President of the Union of Comoros and the President of the African Union Asoumani to the place of world leaders. India's objective was to include the African Union as a member of G20 which has been fulfilled today. Prime Minister Modi himself proposed to bring the African Union into the group.

Before we start the proceedings of the G20, I would like to express my condolences on behalf of the group to those who lost their lives due to the earthquake in Morocco. India is ready to provide all possible support to Morocco in this difficult time," said Prime Minister Modi in his welcome speech.

Prime Minister Modi wrote to his G20 counterparts last June requesting full membership to the African Union at the New Delhi summit. Prime Minister Modi proposed to give full membership to the African Union, a group of 55 countries on the African continent that started in 2002, at the request of the member countries.