G20: Ukraine conflict is affecting the Global South, says Jaishankar

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Noting that there were divergences on issues concerning the Ukraine conflict in the G20 document, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that the chair summary outlined the concerns of the Global South and “it is just on two paragraphs that were not able to get everybody on the same page.”

“The bulk of the issues which concern especially the Global South, the developing countries. There was a considerable meeting of minds. And a considerable meeting of mindshas been captured by the outcome document. If we had a perfect meeting of minds of all issues and captured it fully then obviously it would have been a collective statement,” he said while confirming that a chair’s summary and outcome document was adopted.

Emphasizing the issue of bringing G20 members on the same page, Jaishankar said, “In terms of the outcome document, the bulk… 95 per cent for say in terms of paragraph agreement and it is just on two paragraphs that were not able to get everybody on the same page or same para.”

Highlighting that there were “issues concerning the Ukraine conflict on which there were divergences” EAM said, “The bulk of issues, we were able to get an outcome document. There was a chair summary because there were differences on the Ukraine issue which could not reconcile various parties who held differing positions.”

Jaishankar noted that the impact of the conflict on food security and the cost of fertilizer were among the key areas for the Indian presidency.

“Is a conflict impacting Global South? Of course, it is. It is not something new. In fact, India has been saying this very strongly for pretty much close to a year that this is affecting… In fact today, in my own session, I actually used the word saying for much of the Global South this is a make-or-break issue that the cost of fuel, the cost of food, the cost of fertilizer…The availability of fertilizer which means next year’s food. These are all extremely pressing issues,” he said while

Pointing to the fact that some countries are struggling with debt post-pandemic, EAM said, “If you see, some of the countries who were already struggling with debt, who were already impacted by the pandemic. For them, the knock-on effects of this conflict coming on top of that. It is a matter of very very deep concern for us. Which is why we kept on the focus in this meeting very much on the concerns of the Global South. We feel these are the most vulnerable countries. It is not credible to talk about the future of the global economy and the multilateral order. If we are not able to really address and focus on the issues of those who are most in need. So that is been broadly the approach.,”
Multilateralism is in crisis today in terms of preventing future wars and terrorism,” said Jaishankar, while briefing reports about the discussions that took place during the meetings.

“The G20 meetings discussed the challenges of Russia and Ukraine issues and PM Modi advised us to realise ‘what unites us and what divides us … These meetings have been affected by geopolitical tensions. PM Modi urged that we had a responsibility for those who were not in the room,” said the EAM.

“There were five important points in the Prime Minister’s address. One, he noted that multilateralism is in crisis today. And, in terms of preventing future wars and fostering international cooperation which were two primary tasks it had failed. The second point he made was that it is important to give a voice to the Global South because world was sinking … a lot of countries actually regressing on their sustainable goals pathway were witnessing challenging debts,” he added.

Referring to PM Modi’s address, he said, “The third point he made was that the discussions which we were beginning at that time. He recognised that these discussions were affected by the geopolitical tensions of the day. But asked us all as foreign ministers to remember that we had a responsibility for those who are not in the room. And therefore, he urged that we draw inspiration from India’s civilisation ethos and focus not on what divides us but on what unites us.”

He reiterated PM Modi’s concerns about the challenges that the participating countries should address which included the impact of the pandemic, the lives lost in natural disasters, the breakdown of global supply chains, debt and financial crisis.

He said that G20 group have individually and collectively an obligation to contribute to international growth and prosperity, adding that these can be implemented through sustainable partnerships and goodwill initiatives.

“On its part, India has undertaken development projects in 78 countries and has actively encouraged exchanges and capability building. During the Covid pandemic, we made a conscious effort at contributing to global solutions even while looking after our own. Today’s situation demands that we continue to live up to our international
responsibilities. The G20 must be sensitive to all our partners’ priorities and economic concerns, especially those more vulnerable. We must ensure demand-driven and sustainable development cooperation based on country ownership and transparency. Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity are essential guiding principles for such cooperation,” added Jaishankar. (ANI)