The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has encouraged the foreign ministers of the G20 to put aside their differences and prioritize the needs of the developing world.
“We are gathering during a moment of profound global differences. We have a duty to people who are not present “He informed ministers in Delhi.
India intends to utilize its G20 chair to advocate for the Global South, a group of developing nations.
Yet, disagreements within the group about the Ukraine conflict will test Indian diplomacy.
G20 finance ministers failed to establish a consensus on a closing statement at their meeting in Bangalore (Bengaluru) city last week. This was the first ministerial meeting held in preparation for the summit later this year.
It was India’s responsibility to produce a chair’s summary noting “various perceptions of the situation in Ukraine” among the group. Thursday’s discussions between the foreign ministers are likely to encounter similar obstacles.
Mr. Modi’s speech on Thursday made it clear that India desired deals that might aid the poor world and drive its global ambitions.
“After years of success, we risk regressing on the sustainable development goals today. Numerous emerging nations are battling unsustainable debts while attempting to ensure food and energy security “he stated.
“These are also the nations most affected by the global warming induced by wealthier nations. This is why India’s G20 presidency has attempted to give the Global South a voice.”
The G20, comprised of the world’s 19 wealthiest nations and the European Union, is responsible for 85 percent of global economic output and two-thirds of its population.
Foreign ministers, including Sergey Lavrov of Russia, Antony Blinken of the United States, and Qin Gang of China, are in Delhi for the summit. An ex-Indian diplomat told the BBC that India would need to “do something extraordinary” to convince them to set aside their concerns regarding the war.
According to experts, Delhi would have the difficult problem of adhering to its non-alignment policy regarding the war while pressing other states to find ways to cooperate.
Delhi has withstood the pressure and maintained its approach of not directly criticizing India’s top arms supplier, Russia.
Iran has consistently abstained from voting on UN resolutions denouncing the conflict in Ukraine, including last week’s vote at the UN General Assembly.
Iran has also defended its decision to boost its oil imports from Russia by stating that it must provide for the requirements of over a billion people.
In previous pronouncements on Ukraine, however, it has emphasized the significance of “the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.”
The statement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference in the fall of 2016 was interpreted as an oblique criticism of Russia.
Mr. Modi told the summit in Uzbekistan, in the presence of President Vladimir Putin, that the current moment is not one of conflict.
Despite Mr. Modi’s efforts, observers predict that tensions over Ukraine will overshadow Thursday’s meeting. It has dominated the statements of certain G20 members before the start of the summit.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told reporters following the meeting, as reported by Reuters: “This war must be denounced.”
“I hope and am confident that India’s diplomatic capacity would be utilized to convince Russia that this war must end,” he said.
Wednesday, India’s top diplomat Vinay Kwatra stated that while the war in Ukraine would be an important topic of discussion, “issues pertaining to food, energy, and fertilizer security, as well as the impact the crisis has on the economic challenges we confront” would also receive “proper attention.”
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