G20 summit begins in India
Photo: REUTERS
An event for which India has been carefully preparing for a year began in New Delhi on Saturday. For two days, the world’s media will savor the words, gestures and even the opinions of the G20 leaders. Russia is represented at the G20 summit by Sergei Lavrov.
One hour to cross the Delhi road.
To get to the hotel where our delegation lives in New Delhi, I only had to walk about 100 meters, but it took me more than an hour to cover that distance. I saw the hotel building itself, but I couldn’t move even a meter. A policeman with a huge beard blocked the road. “The pass here is closed,” he said calmly, but without any other alternative.
And yet I took a chance: “But this is my hotel. I’m from the Russian delegation.” “I don’t care where you’re from. You won’t be able to get in. Biden will leave now.”
The arrival of the US president at the G20 summit in India was somewhat reminiscent of an alien meeting. Literally every local channel showed it live. And most Westerners.
At the same time, the images of the owner of the White House descending the stairs interested many people, mainly because it was interesting to know if this time he would be able to overcome the “obstacle course” without problems or if the “oops” would happen again.
This time, those around him were able to breathe a sigh of relief. The descent to the mainland was uneventful. The President of the United States got into his luxurious limousine and set off to negotiate. In fact, I had to wait over an hour for the Biden motorcade to pass and I was able to cross the street.
Six lines of defense
At this time, the so-called “Old Delhi” continued to live its normal life. But the “New Delhi” area, where all the delegations were located, became an impregnable fortress. To get to the press center we had to overcome six lines of “defense”. There are a large number of police, military and special forces everywhere. There are also armored vehicles and military radars to protect the airspace from any penetration.
Only the “private” came to the “Maidan”
Even the usually simple task of transporting media representatives to the press center became a special operation for local security services. Initially we were taken by bus from the hotel to the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. There is the first line of control. Then, on another bus, the journalists were sent to the main “point.”
From where the summit venue is just a stone’s throw away. But only the so-called “personal persons”, cameramen and photographers of the heads of delegations, were able to overcome the last 300 meters that separate the press center from the meeting place of the G20 leaders.
By the way, the summit will take place at the Pragati Maidan International Exhibition Complex. Well, there is no escape from the next “Maidan”.
