International
EU, Russia take strong positions at G20 India meet
The year-long Russian war in Ukraine took centre stage on the eve of a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi yesterday with the EU foreign policy chief saying its success would be measured by what it could do to help end the conflict.
March 02, 2023 | 12:19 AM
The year-long Russian war in Ukraine took centre stage on the eve of a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi yesterday with the EU foreign policy chief saying its success would be measured by what it could do to help end the conflict.Russia said it would use the meeting to tell the world who, according to Moscow, was responsible for the political and economic crises the world finds itself in.Germany responded by saying it would counter Russian "propaganda" at the G20 meeting. Washington said it was important the G20 continue to call out Russia.The foreign ministers’ meeting comes days after a meeting of finance chiefs of G20 countries in Bengaluru that was also overshadowed by the Ukraine conflict.Delegates at the Bengaluru meeting wrangled over condemning Russia for the war, failed to reach a consensus on a joint statement and settled instead for a summary document."This war has to be condemned," Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told reporters."I hope, I am sure that India’s diplomatic capacity will be used in order to make Russia understand that this war has to finish," Borrell said. An EU source separately said the EU delegation would not support a statement at the G20 meeting if it did not include condemnation of the war.The comments came hours after Russia said it considered the G20 a prestigious forum "where balanced consensus decisions should be made in the interests of all humankind"."We intend to firmly and openly talk about the reasons and instigators of the current serious problems in world politics and the global economy," the Russian Embassy in New Delhi said in a statement late on Tuesday."The destructive policy of the US and its allies has already put the world on the brink of a disaster, provoked a rollback in socio-economic development and seriously aggravated the situation of the poorest countries," it said.The New Delhi meeting is being attended by 40 delegations, including those headed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.The main G20 meetings will be held today after a welcome dinner yesterday.The German, French and Chinese foreign ministers and Blinken did not attend the dinner as they did not arrive in New Delhi in time, said a senior Indian diplomat overseeing the diplomatic engagements organised on the sidelines.Lavrov attended and was seated with the delegation from the United Arab Emirates and East Asian countries as requested by the Russian Embassy, the diplomat said.A German foreign ministry spokesperson said in Berlin that Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock "will not allow Russia to take the stage and will firmly oppose Russian propaganda if necessary, as she has done in the past".British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said London would seek to work with New Delhi to make the meeting successful. Cleverly will meet Qin on the sidelines, but not Lavrov."Our position is that Russia’s behaviour has made direct interactions with them at ministerial level inappropriate," he told Reuters.Blinken said he had no plans to meet either Lavrov or Qin.
March 02, 2023 | 12:19 AM