Foreign delegates at Employment Working Group Meeting in Guwahati laud India’s G-20 presidency, hospitality

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Several foreign delegates who attended the Employment Working Group Meeting in Guwahati under India’s G20 presidency on Monday thanked the government and the people for the warm hospitality.

A three-day Employment Working Group Meeting was organised in Guwahati, Assam, which began on Monday and will continue till April 5. Many foreign G-20 delegates, who reached Guwahati, in a conversation with ANI, thanked the Indian government for the hospitality they received upon reaching the country.

Deputy Director General for Foreign Relations to the Ministry of Labour for the Republic of Turkey, Ali Aybey said, “I would like to thank the people and the government of India for the warm hospitality. We have been welcomed very well and we have been to several places and especially in Guwahati in Assam. The people of Assam are very friendly and very helpful. Thank you very much.”

He also highlighted various topics of interest including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the skills gap and labour relations.

Aybey said, “This year we will be addressing the skills gap because labour relations are changing rapidly and with the onset of the pandemic we have seen an intensification of this change, so this skills gap is a major issue to be addressed by all G-20 nations.”

“The other topic priority is the financing of sustainable financing of Social Security. Social Security is also another important topic which is always related to human beings but with the pandemic, we have seen that it is much more important in terms of health care and also retirement,” he added.

Jordi Curell Gotor of the European Union said, “India is a very different country, but the hospitality and the warmth of the people are the same.”

He added, “COVID has actually accelerated many changes. It has accelerated digitalization, and that’s something that we are addressing here. It has accelerated the platform work, which is another of the priorities of the Indian presidency. And of course, it has also changed the way in which we work and all of those are topics that the Indian presidency has put on the table.”

Su Hwan Wi, a delegate of the Republic of Korea said, “This is my first time joining the G-20 meeting, so this is my first time to the Indian presidency. But I think that India’s leadership, and presidency was very perfect. I was really moved there by their leadership. And I hope this meeting and this year’s G-20 meeting will have a good result.”

Expressing his happiness towards the Indian hospitality, the Korean delegate said, “Actually, I was really surprised when I visited India. Like, when I get off the plane, every person just waiting for me and I was really surprised by their hospitality. Everywhere I go, they celebrate me and they want to wait for me and they show their hospitality. So I want to visit India again for the next meeting.”

Chinese delegate Rui Mu, said, “I am very happy to be invited to give a presentation here and contribute to India’s G-20 presidency. And also we are very touched by all receptions here. For example, last night we arrived very late at New Delhi Airport and the staff there took us to another terminal and in the lounge and helped us to get onto the plane here.” (ANI)