Imagine there is a G20 summit and no one goes. It’s not that far yet. But two of the most powerful heads of state will not be there this weekend when the group of leading industrialized and emerging countries meets in New Delhi, India, for their annual summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin was absent from the summit on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali last year, just a few months after he ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
In addition to him, his closest ally in the G20 circle, Chinese President Xi Jinping, is also staying away from the summit this time. This gives the event a clear tilt to the west. Substantial results are becoming much more difficult – and not just on the main issue of the Ukraine war.
G20 summit in India: the main topic of contention is the war in Ukraine
At the last summit on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali, the West celebrated it as a success that Russia, represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, remained largely isolated. At that time, apparently under pressure from China, Moscow agreed to include the sentence in the final declaration: “Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine.” Russia’s position was depicted at the time with the words: “There were different views and different assessments of the situation and the sanctions.”
China and Russia no longer want to engage in such formulations. For their part, the Western states do not want to fall behind the Bali Declaration. The negotiations before the summit in India, which have been described as extremely difficult, are now about a new approach. In German government circles it is said that they want to anchor a commitment to the “territorial integrity of all states” in the final document. In other words, no country has the right to violate another’s borders. In a Western interpretation, this would be a veiled condemnation of the Russian war of aggression.
Climate protection has fallen behind because of war
The Russian war against Ukraine will not be the only topic of contention in New Delhi. In recent years, the EU in particular has tried to make the G20 group an international driver for more climate protection. However, participants in the negotiations now admit that the lengthy and tough discussions about the war in Ukraine are clearly at the expense of other issues.
The negotiations currently have to be fought to maintain previous goals. This involves, for example, reducing inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels and gradually phasing out climate-damaging electricity generation using coal.
Growth from Africa
The African Union (AU) has officially joined the G20 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “By general agreement, I ask the chairman of the African Union to take up his seat as a permanent member of the G20,” Modi said at the start of the summit in New Delhi on Saturday. He then hugged the current AU chairman and President of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani, before he took his place among the heads of state and government.
“India has proposed giving the African Union permanent membership in the G20,” Modi said. “I think we have everyone’s buy-in for this,” he continued.
The expansion of the G20 is a diplomatic victory for Modi, who is using the summit to present himself as an international statesman ahead of India’s elections next year.
The ten most important things about the G20 summit in New Delhi in pictures.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
