Washington: The G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi came to a close on Thursday (March 2), but the foreign ministers of industrialized and developing countries could not reach any consensus on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said there were severe “differences” over the Ukraine war and that “we were unable to reach a compromise because of the parties’ different views”.
“If we can have a complete consensus on all issues, then there will be a collective statement,” Jaishankar said the foreign ministers at the meeting reached a consensus on the vast majority of issues related to developing countries, “such as strengthening multilateralism, enhancing food and energy security, climate change, gender issues, and counter-terrorism.” As the host, India had called for opinions during the
A meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors is also taking place in New Delhi. India was forced to finally issue a compromise presidential statement after Russia and China refused to repeat in the joint communique after the meeting the words about the war in Ukraine that appeared in the declaration of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia last November.
meeting Even if the foreign ministers of the sharply opposed countries cannot agree on the Ukraine issue, they have at least reached a consensus on some issues of deep concern to poor countries. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and foreign ministers from other countries emphasized the active role of the G20 in dealing with the world crisis. But divisions at the meeting were still evident.
In a video address to the meeting, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on foreign ministers not to let current tensions undo what could have been agreed on issues such as food and energy, security, climate change, and debt.
“We are meeting at a time when the world is deeply divided,” Modi said in his speech. Among his audience were Blinken, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The meeting would therefore naturally be “influenced by the current geopolitical tensions,” Modi said.
“We all have our positions and views on how to resolve the tension,” Modi said. “We shouldn’t let the problems we can’t solve together stand in the way of the problems we can solve.”
Perhaps in recognition of the growing rift between the United States and its allies on one side and Russia and China on the other, Modi noted that “multilateralism is in crisis today.” He noted in particular that the post-World War II international
order Both of its two goals, preventing conflict and promoting cooperation, are now elusive.
“The experience of the past two years, the financial crisis, the pandemic, terrorism, and war have clearly shown that global governance has failed in both tasks,” Modi said.
Speaking at the meeting, Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar told the foreign ministers of various countries that they “must seek consensus and provide direction.”
The Associated Press reported according to Blinken’s speech provided by the US State Department that Blinken introduced the efforts of the United States for energy and food security at the meeting. He also clarified that Russia’s war against Ukraine cannot go unchallenged.
“Unfortunately, this meeting was again marred by Russia’s unprovoked and illegal war against Ukraine, its the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, and its violation of core principles of the UN Charter,” Blinken said.
“We must continue to call on Russia to cease its war of aggression and withdraw its troops from Ukraine in the interests of international peace and economic stability,” Blinken added. In particular, Blinken noted that on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 141 countries voted in the UN General Assembly for a resolution condemning Russian aggression. G20 members including India, China, and South Africa abstained.
Blinken held a 10-minute conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, the first meeting of top U.S. and Russian officials in months.
During the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang also held bilateral meetings and exchanged views on how to improve bilateral relations.