US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, 31 October formally welcomed Poland as a 'full participant' in the G20, stating that President Donald Trump views the country's economic success and expanding global influence as precisely what the grouping needs. The remarks came as G20 foreign ministers convened in Atlanta, Georgia, to lay the groundwork for a leaders' summit to be hosted by the United States at Doral, Florida.

Rubio's Welcome Remarks

Speaking at the welcome reception for the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Rubio said: 'President Trump believes their economic success and growing global influence is exactly what the G20 needs to tackle the major economic challenges we all face, and we're very excited to have them with us here today and this week.'

Rubio described the ministers' primary task as preparing a platform 'upon which our leaders will be able to meet in a few weeks in Doral and really have a successful G20.' He added that the US presidency had already convened sessions on trade, fiscal and monetary policy, emerging technology, and energy.

Poland's Lobbying Push for Permanent Membership

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters in Atlanta earlier on Friday that he had actively lobbied fellow ministers — including those from India — to back Poland's bid for permanent G20 membership. 'The United States has tabled a resolution to the effect that Poland would be a permanent member. And yes, I've been lobbying colleagues to support that motion, including India,' Sikorski said.

Sikorski pointed to a recent diplomatic development, noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while receiving Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in India, had 'committed India to supporting' Poland's membership. He also observed that 'the last, and if memory serves, only formal enlargement of the G20 happened under the Indian presidency,' — a reference to the inclusion of the African Union during India's G20 chairmanship. Sikorski added that 'almost all' ministers he met on the sidelines had agreed to support Poland's bid, with 'some' having 'already declared it publicly.'

US Priorities at the G20

Rubio outlined the United States' core interests at the forum, emphasising that it was 'in the economic and national security interests' of the US 'that we are energy dominant, that we have robust supply chains, that we remove the regulatory hurdles that hamper growth, and that we lead in the advancement of super intelligence and other critical emerging technologies.'

He stressed that while member nations' interests 'may not always align,' the group should 'always seek to work together to advance them when and where they do align.' Trump's mission, Rubio said, was for the G20 to maintain a 'sharp focus on core economic policy issues.'

What Happens Next

The G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta was scheduled to conclude on Saturday, 1 November, with a session on supply chains followed by closing remarks from Rubio, according to the State Department's public schedule. The leaders' summit at Doral, Florida is expected to follow in the coming weeks, with Poland's permanent membership status likely to be a key agenda item for ratification.