Historic G20 summit ends in India

Agencies | New Delhi       

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up yesterday a G20 summit that has been credited as historic, given that the meet took place at a time when there were deep divisions over the war in Ukraine and climate change, but still placed India in the diplomatic spotlight.

G20 nations have been riven over the Ukraine war since Moscow’s invasion last year, with Russian President Vladimir Putin skipping the summit entirely following political controversy.

Leaders of the Group of 20, which brings together Russia and China as well as some of Ukraine’s most ardent backers, had diverse opinions on the subject, in particular about the 18-month-old invasion.

Facing a major diplomatic imbroglio, host India pressed members to agree to a common statement on Saturday that denounced the use of force for territorial gain, instead of directly criticizing Russia.

Kyiv said the G20 had “nothing to be proud of” but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who stood in for Putin at the meeting, on Sunday termed the meet a diplomatic win. “We were able to prevent the West’s attempts to ‘Ukrainize’ the summit agenda,” the veteran diplomat said, dubbing the two-day gathering a “success”.

“The text doesn’t mention Russia at all.” Yesterday, Modi formally closed the summit by passing on a ceremonial gavel to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose country will take the bloc’s presidency in December.

“We cannot let geopolitical issues sequester the G20 agenda of discussions,” Lula said, an implicit reference to wrangling over the Ukraine war. “We have no interest in a divided G20. We need peace and cooperation instead of conflict.”