Ajit Karn
China and Russia opposed the inclusion of two paragraphs condemning the war and criticising Moscow’s actions, preventing the G20 finance ministers from reaching a consensus on a joint statement at their meeting in Bengaluru last week.
Before a meeting of foreign ministers of the group, which is expected to be divided over condemning Russia’s aggression, the G20 was urged on Wednesday to focus on the economic repercussions of the Ukraine crisis, particularly food and energy security, on developing countries.
Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra acknowledged at a media briefing that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will be a major topic of discussion at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting on Thursday, but he declined to speculate on whether the meeting will approve a joint communique in the face of China and Russia’s objections to the inclusion of any language condemning Moscow’s actions.
Kwatra stated, in response to a flurry of questions about the impact of the European war on the G20 process, that the Indian agenda for the meeting encompasses the concerns and priorities of the Global South, including the impact of the Ukraine crisis on food, energy, and fertiliser security, sustainable development, and access to climate finance and technology.
In reference to the economic and development impacts of the war as well as the challenges facing developing countries, he stated, “I believe it is equally important to focus on these as well as the Russia-Ukraine conflict.”
He added, “I do not believe it would be appropriate for me to predict the outcome of the meeting of G20 foreign ministers. Let the [participants] decide, but we are very clear that the foreign ministers should focus on all the priorities that are very relevant in the current global context.”
China and Russia opposed the inclusion of two paragraphs condemning the war and criticising Moscow’s actions, preventing the G20 finance ministers from reaching a consensus on a joint statement at their meeting in Bengaluru last week. Diplomats from a number of G20 nations, speaking on condition of anonymity, conceded that it is unlikely that the foreign ministers will agree on a joint communique, given the stark differences between the G7 and China-Russia.
The head of the European Union’s (EU) foreign and security policy told reporters, “This war must be condemned.” “I am confident that India’s diplomatic capacity will be utilised to convince Russia that this war must end.”
The EU delegation, one of the forty delegations present at the meeting, made it clear that it would not support any statement that did not condemn the war.
The British foreign office announced that foreign minister James Cleverly will “continue to condemn Russian aggression in Ukraine” at the G20 summit and urge partners to work together to address the most pressing global challenges.
Russia’s foreign ministry announced earlier that it will use the summit to identify those responsible for the global political and economic crises. “We intend to discuss the causes and instigators of the current serious problems in world politics and the global economy with firmness and candour,” it said in a statement.
“The destructive policy of the United States and its allies has already brought the world to the brink of disaster, caused a reversal in socio-economic development, and gravely exacerbated the plight of the poorest nations,” the report continued.
A joint communique is optional at the meeting of foreign ministers, and a similar meeting held in Indonesia on July 7-8, 2022 concluded without even a chair’s summary. At that time, G7 foreign ministers boycotted a dinner because Sergey Lavrov was in attendance. Subsequently, Lavrov stormed out of a meeting while his German counterpart Anna Baerbock was speaking.
India has thus far refrained from publicly criticising Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has abstained from voting on Ukraine-related resolutions at UN bodies, including the recent adoption by the UN General Assembly of a resolution urging Russia to withdraw all its military forces from Ukraine immediately.
Kwatra summed up India’s stance on the Ukraine conflict by referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Samarkand last year – that this is not the era of war – and the country’s consistent demand that the crisis be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. He stated that these factors influenced India’s contributions to the consensus reached at the last G20 summit in Bali.
“Clearly for us, questions relating to food, energy, and fertiliser security, the impact that the conflict has on these economic challenges, new and emerging threats, the problem of counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics, the issues we face on the reform of multilateralism – each of these is a very significant and substantial issue that is absolutely essential for the Global South,” Kwatra said.
India has positioned itself as the voice of the Global South in the G20 process, and in January it convened a virtual summit of 125 developing states to collect their concerns and expectations from the G20. According to those with knowledge of the situation, there is no possibility of India moving away from the joint statement issued at the Bali summit, which was partially repeated in the chair’s summary issued in Bengaluru.
The first of two sessions that S Jaishankar will preside over on Thursday will focus on strengthening multilateralism and the need for reforms, food and energy security, and development cooperation. The second session will cover counterterrorism and new and emerging threats, global skill mapping, and humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
This agenda also reflects India’s priorities, which include inclusive and resilient growth, progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), green development and sustainable lifestyles, technological transformation, G20 collaboration on public digital infrastructure, and women-led development.
Former ambassador Talmiz Ahmad stated that the G20 is becoming mired in the dispute between the United States-led G7 and China and Russia. “Let’s be very frank and objective: the West, led by the United States, wants to confront China and Russia, which it views as an existential threat because they are mobilising support for a new world order. “The West is unwilling to accept any challenge, and their concerns regarding Ukraine trump all others,” he stated.
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In addition, the West has “no interest in the global economic issues raised by developing nations,” so India must concentrate on South-South cooperation. “However, this must be a sincere effort that is carried out by multilateral organisations that represent the Global South,” Ahmad said.
