G20 declaration
THE predominance of the Russia-Ukraine war in the declaration adopted by G20 leaders at the Bali summit does not come as a surprise. What sharpened the focus on the raging conflict was the strike by a Russian-made missile that claimed two lives in Polish territory near Ukraine; the incident prompted US President Biden to call an emergency meeting of G7 and NATO leaders. According to the declaration, ‘most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine’, indicating that Russia, a member of the grouping, had a contrarian view. Both India and China managed to deftly walk a tightrope, withstanding pressure from fellow members to lambast Russia. While asserting that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons was inadmissible, the joint statement said it was essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system that safeguarded peace and stability.
The prospect of being cornered in the G20 arena made Russian President Putin a conspicuous absentee. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Lavrov, who called the war in Ukraine ‘a hybrid war that the West has unleashed and been preparing for years.’ Lavrov’s discomfiture was obvious as he left the summit midway. Rather than soothing frayed tempers, the G20 conference seems to have hardened the battle lines. This is an unfortunate development as the war — which is set to complete nine months next week — has battered world economy and pushed up inflation to alarming levels. The increasing threat to food and energy security makes it imperative for both sides to return to the negotiating table. But that seems unlikely as of now.
With the COP27 summit of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change simultaneously in progress in Egypt, the G20 leaders agreed to work harder to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C, including speeding up efforts to phase down unabated use of coal. However, India, which is among the world’s biggest consumers of coal, has made it clear that ‘no sector, fuel source or gas should be singled out for action’ in the fight against climate change. National circumstances and interests will inevitably take precedence, making the pursuit of common goals an onerous task.
