Sitharaman meets UK, Singapore, Canada FMs; discusses collaboration

The Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday met her counterparts

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman on Friday met her counterparts in Singapore and Canada and discussed various issues, including economy, health and opportunities for collaboration.

Sitharaman met UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, Singapore Finance Minister Lawrence Wong and Canada's Deputy Prime Minister & Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on the sidelines of the G-20 Joint Finance and Health Ministers' meeting.

"Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman had an engaging discussion with @cafreeland Dy. Prime Minister & Finance Minister of Canada on the sidelines of #G20 Finance & Health Ministers Meeting in #Rome. The Ministers discussed various issues, including economic and health cooperation," a Finance Ministry tweet said.

In another tweet, the ministry said: "Finance Minister @nsitharaman met @LawrenceWongST Finance Minister of Singapore on the sidelines of #G20 Finance & Health Ministers Meeting in #Rome ahead of #G20RomeSummit. Noting strong #IndiaSingapore relations, the ministers discussed opportunities for further collaboration".

Sitharaman also met Brazil Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes.

The ministers discussed and exchanged views on various issues, including economic recovery from pandemic, investments, climate action and engagement at BRICS 2021 and G20.

"Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman had a valuable exchange with Mr @RishiSunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, United Kingdom in #Rome on the sidelines of the #G20 Finance & Health Ministers Meeting. The Ministers discussed topics of mutual interest like green transition, #fintech, importance of keeping supply chains open and #EconomicOpportunities in India," the ministry said in another tweet.

The minister also met GlobalFund Executive Director Peter Sands and appreciated Global Fund's efforts in fighting AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

"Discussions were held on global preparedness for dealing with future health emergencies and sustaining the campaigns against other diseases," the ministry said.

Sitharaman also met Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who appreciated India's efforts in prioritising Financial Inclusion for the underserved.

A range of topics like India Stack, Jan Dhan Yojana and Account Aggregator Framework were discussed and both sides expressed intention to carry further the work of Financial Inclusion for development.

FM Smt. @nsitharaman expressed readiness for sharing India's experience and best practices for advancing universal and #InclusiveFinance, a finance ministry tweet said.

This is the first joint meeting of the G20 Finance and Health Ministers under the Italian G20 Presidency.

The ministers endorsed the Joint G20 Finance and Health Ministers Communique towards strengthening global health financing governance ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit on October 30-31.