The much-awaited G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting concluded in New Delhi on Thursday. Over 40 delegations, including foreign ministers from almost all G20 countries, visited India, which holds the G20 presidency this year. The results of the meeting were a mixed bag. Mint breaks them down for you.
- The G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was the second ministerial meeting under India’s G20 Presidency after the Finance Ministers’ Meeting, which concluded in Bengaluru in late February. The latest meeting saw the world’s top diplomats, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, land in New Delhi.
- The situation could hardly have been more complicated. Russia and the West are locked in a fierce conflict in Ukraine, while tensions with China remain as a result of the spy balloon saga, resulting in the cancellation of Blinken’s planned visit. In his welcome speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged divisions among G20 members, but urged nations to cooperate in the interests of the wider world.
- The results were a mixed bag. Member states could not agree on a joint statement as Russia and China opposed the inclusion of language critical of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar acknowledged that India was unable to secure an agreement despite strenuous efforts.
- Instead, a summary document was issued. With the exception of Ukraine, the foreign ministers agreed on a number of challenges, including food security, improving multilateralism and protecting biodiversity.
- The meeting also proved to be a mixed bag for India’s G20 presidency. At a time of geopolitical crisis, New Delhi was able to project itself as a major center of global affairs by hosting the world’s most influential diplomats. New Delhi hosted a brief but important meeting between Blinken and Lavrov during the event. It was the first time they met since Russian troops entered Ukraine last year.
- Nevertheless, disagreements over the war in Ukraine threaten to overshadow India’s moment in the sun. The two most high-profile meetings of India’s one-year presidency of the G20 have ended without an agreement on the Ukraine war. While the war is just one of many challenges, it is one of the most pressing issues given its impact on financial stability, energy prices and relations between the great powers.
- New Delhi may also be worried about the way forward. During last year’s G20 summit in Bali, India and Indonesia managed to get a joint statement from member states that included language critical of Russia’s war in Ukraine. China agreed to support the statement in Indonesia while Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov had already left the meeting.
- In New Delhi, both Russia and China have now refused to retract the Bali Declaration. This leaves India with the unenviable task of trying to broker a deal on Ukraine by walking a tightrope between the West, which lashes out at Moscow, and harsh criticism of Russia and China.
- However, New Delhi may also be inclined to adopt the approach of Blinken, who saw it as “not a big difference” in not agreeing to a joint statement because of Ukraine. Ukraine was proof of effective multilateralism at work.
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