Moon mission, G20, cricket World Cup…great year for India: UK PM

NEW DELHI: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said 2023 is shaping up to be a great year for India, with the Moon mission, G20, and the cricket World Cup.

“In India, just this year, the moon mission, what an extraordinary success, this G20, which is going to be a huge success and, of course, the Cricket World Cup to come as well. So this is shaping up to be a great year for India,” the British Prime Minister said.

Sunak added that this demonstrates India's place on the global stage and its importance to geopolitics.

“I know everyone here will be incredibly proud of the year that India is having,” he said.

Meanwhile, on his arrival in India on Friday, the UK PM met students and staff at the British Council in Delhi.

Sunak said India’s youth represent its future and India's trajectory over the coming years and decades inspires confidence.

“The school children I spent time with today, with Akshata, are so bright, so confident. They are going to ensure that India has an incredibly important role to play in world affairs for years to come. Because their energy, their confidence, their intelligence is fantastic. And it's an inspiration to see,” the British PM said.

Taking to his official handle on X, Sunak posted, "Before meeting the world leaders of today I’ve been meeting with the world leaders of tomorrow. It’s been fantastic to visit students and staff here at @inBritish- a reflection of the living bridge that exists between the UK and India."

He further called the little ones "a living bridge between the UK and India".

Rishi Sunak arrived for his maiden India visit on Friday to attend the G20 Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 9 and 10.

He was received by Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ashwini Choubey.

On his arrival at the national capital, the British PM said the G20 has been a huge success for India and it is the "right country at the right time to be hosting this”.

The UK PM said that he will make sure that the G20, under India's presidency, achieves success.

“G20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this.I feel we are going to have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made,” the British Prime Minister said, adding that the coming two days will witness hectic deliberations.

Referring to the theme of the 18th G20 Summit, 'One Earth, One Family, One Future', UK PM said, “I think it’s a great theme. I am an example of the incredible living bridge that Prime Minister Modi described between UK and India.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Sunak on Friday, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, sources said.