Spain president tests Covid positive, to miss G20 Summit

New Delhi: A security official stands guard near a G20 Summit logo installed at Shangri-La Hotel as part of preparations for the upcoming summit, in New Delhi, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma)

New Delhi: Spain President Pedro Sanchez will skip the G20 Summit beginning here on Saturday after testing positive for COVID-19.

“This afternoon I have tested positive for Covid and will not be able to travel to New Delhi for the G20 Summit,” Sanchez said in a post on X.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Sanchez a speedy recovery and good health.

“We shall miss your insightful views during the upcoming G20 Summit. At the same time, a warm welcome to the Spanish delegation which has come to India,” Modi said in response to Sanchez’s post.

Spain will be represented by First Vice-President and Minister of Economic Affairs Nadia Calvino and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares.

Sanchez is the third leader to have pulled out of the summit.

Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin conveyed that they would not be attending the summit.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador too has given the G20 Summit a miss. He has not attended G20 summits since 2019.