FM Sitharaman to attend G20, IMF-World Bank meets during US, Peru visit

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will participate in G20 meetings and attend Spring Meetings of the IMF-World Bank, among other bilateral engagements, during an 11-day official trip to the US and Peru, the finance ministry said on Saturday.

Sitharaman is leaving for the official trip on Saturday night.

The finance minister will also interact with top CEOs from prominent fund management firms during a Roundtable meeting with investors, besides holding bilateral meetings with CEOs from top information technology (IT) firms based in San Francisco.

As part of the US visit, she would land in San Francisco to deliver a keynote address at the Hoover Institution at the Stanford University on April 20. Sitharaman will also participate in an event featuring Indian diaspora in San Francisco and interact with the Indian community settled there, the finance ministry said in a statement.

During her visit to Washington, USA, from April 22-25, Sitharaman will participate in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governor (FMCBG) Meetings, Development Committee Plenary, IMFC Plenary, and Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) meeting.

On the sidelines, she will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from several countries, including Argentina, Bahrain, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and USA; besides meeting EU Commissioner for Financial Services; President, Asian Development Bank (ADB); President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); and First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

During her maiden visit to Peru from April 26 to 30, it said, the Finance Minister will lead an Indian delegation of officials from the Ministry of Finance and business leaders, highlighting the strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations between the two nations.

Beginning her visit in Lima, Sitharaman is expected to call on the President of Peru, Dina Boluarte, and Prime Minister of Peru, Gustavo Adrianzn, besides holding bilateral meetings with the Peruvian Ministers of Finance and Economy; Defence; Energy and Mines; and also holding interaction with local public representatives, it said.

In the course of her visit to Peru, the Finance Minister will chair the India-Peru Business Forum meeting with prominent business representatives in attendance from both India and the Latin American nation.

Given Peru's importance in the global supply chain of critical minerals and precious metals, discussions during these engagements are also expected to explore avenues for greater collaboration in the mining sector, particularly to strengthen India's resource security and facilitate value-chain linkages between the two economies, it said.

The Finance Minister will also participate in a community event at Lima, where she will interact with the Indian diaspora living in Peru, it added.