Modi will join world leaders including US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron at the annual summit on November 15-16. Russia has announced that President Vladimir Putin will not attend and the country’s delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov – a reflection of divisions within the G20 over the conflict in Ukraine. The summit will have three working sessions for leaders dedicated to food and energy security, health and digital transformation, and the heads of G20 members are expected to discuss key issues such as the state of the global economy, the environment and climate change and agriculture. The G20 presidency – which brings together Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and of the European Union and accounts for 85% of global GDP and more than 75% of global trade – will be delivered to India in Bali. Tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are expected to be high during the meeting, with Sunak saying on Sunday he plans to “invite the Putin regime” at the G20 summit, which “will not be ordinary”. . In recent days, groups from across the G20 have been scrambling to finalize a joint communique to be issued at the end of the summit, with consensus lagging over a reference to the Ukraine war in the draft document. Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra told a media briefing on Sunday that India has always had active engagement with all members of the G20 and has provided “steady and strong support” to Indonesia, this year’s chair of the group, as it “has shown strong leadership in ensuring the G20 is discussing matters of substantive interest.” The summit in Bali takes place against the backdrop of environmental challenges, the lack of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and at a time when the world is grappling with other challenges such as The uneven economic recovery after pandemic, vulnerable debts, especially in developing countries, the conflict in Ukraine and its negative effects, such as food and energy security and inflation, Kwatra said. The Indian side, he said, is expected to maintain focus on the challenges facing developing countries, the “continued uncertainty related to energy security”, the need for a global response to climate challenges and food and health security, he said. These goals also present opportunities, such as the use of digital tools and platforms for efficient and transparent delivery of governance, he added. There was no official word on the Indian prime minister’s bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, although people familiar with the matter said he is expected to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Sunak, Macron and other leaders. Modi is not expected to meet Xi, the people added. Kwatra said bilateral meetings with several G20 leaders were “still in the planning process” and did not elaborate. Modi will also invite G20 leaders to India for the next summit in New Delhi in September 2023. India’s G20 presidency will focus on green growth, Mission LiFE, digital transformation, inclusive and resilient growth, women-led development and a greater voice for developing countries. He said the joint communique was still under negotiation and the Sherpa-led Indian team was participating in those consultations in Bali. “The communique is in fairly advanced stages of negotiation, but it is not final at this stage…The G20 communique is consensual, it is not a document that is voted on,” he said. The communique is the culmination of a year-long series of meetings, including at least 12 ministerial meetings in the past six months. “The political context of what’s going on in the world is a part of it, if [it is the Ukraine] collision or the dangerous result. In what way it finally emerges in the announcement… it remains to be seen…”, he said. Consensus outcome documents disrupted most preparatory meetings this year due to differences over the Ukraine crisis, and Lavrov pulled out of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in July. Concerns have grown in recent weeks that there may not be a joint announcement in Bali. Although Russia has said Putin will not attend, G20 leaders will skip a traditional joint photo at the start of the summit. Kwatra said India will try to steer the G20 agenda for 2023 in a “representative and balanced manner” and noted that the G20 Troika – which groups the current, upcoming and next presidencies or Indonesia, India and Brazil – will for the first time all have developing economies. G20 leaders are expected to visit a mangrove forest in Bali on November 16 to highlight the importance of mangroves acting as bio-shields against extreme climate events. Modi will also attend a reception with the Indian community on November 15.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rezaul H Laskar is the Foreign Affairs Editor at Hindustan Times. His interests include movies and music. …See details
Rezaul H Laskar is the Foreign Affairs Editor at Hindustan Times. His interests include movies and music. …See details
