A meeting of the G20 foreign ministers in Delhi on Thursday ended without issuing a joint statement as differences over the Ukraine conflict could not be reconciled, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said. The meeting, held under India's presidency, adopted a Chair's Summary and Outcome document.
"There were issues and very frankly they were concerned with the Ukraine conflict. There were divergences. There were differences, which we could not be reconciled," Jaishankar said at a press conference after the meeting.
“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.
The minister, however, asserted that there was agreement on a large number of issues including food and energy security, climate change, gender issues and counter terror.
"There were a large number of issues on which there was agreement, like strengthening multilateralism, promoting food and energy security, climate change, gender issues, counter terror...On the bulk of issues which concern the global south, there was a considerable meeting of minds that has been captured by outcome document," he said.
Jaishankar pointed out that some countries were struggling with debt after the Covid-19 pandemic and for them the knock-on effects of the Ukraine conflict came 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," the EAM said.
Last week, the G20 finance ministers meeting had also ended without a joint communique after faultlines over how to describe Russia's invasion of Ukraine could not be bridged.
Earlier at the meeting, Jaishankar said that the decision-making at multilateral organizations like the United Nations doesn't reflect the realities of present-day politics, economics, or aspirations of the people.
“Since 2005, we have heard sentiments for reform being expressed at the highest level. But as we all know, these have not materialised. The reasons are no secret either. The longer we put it off, the more the credibility of multilateralism stands eroded. Global decision-making must be democratised if it has to have a future,” he said.
