External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on the sidelines of the G-20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) in Indonesia’s Bali on Friday. “While the Ukraine conflict figured prominently during the talks, Jaishankar and Blinken also discussed key issues related to the Indo-Pacific with China’s belligerence in the background,” top diplomatic sources told The Daily Guardian Review. Blinken was believed to be convinced that the focus on the Indo-Pacific challenges should not be allowed to be diluted due to other global developments including the Ukraine conflict. Sources said that during talks with both Lavrov and Blinken, Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s stand that the problems between Russia and Ukraine should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, and that the violence should be brought to an end immediately. Without making any critical comment on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Jaishankar reiterated that his country is on the side of peace, sources said. EAM did not comment
In talks with Lavrov, Jaishankar suggested that
Ukraine and Russia should open a channel of dialogue. Humanitarian concerns that PM Modi has been emphasizing on, were raised by EAM, sources informed. The Afghanistan situation also figured during EAM’s talks with Blinken and Lavrov. The Indian foreign minister and Secretary of State discussed various global issues including the problems in the Indo-Pacific region. In his public remarks before meeting Jaishankar, Antony Blinken said they are together at the G-20 “to deal collectively with some of the most significant problems and challenges that the world faces”. Blinken further said, “But in all of this, India is a great partner for the United States. We’re working together on virtually every single one of these issues, and I look forward to pursuing the conversation that we’ve been engaged in for the last 18 months.” “And, of course, unfortunately, tragically, many of the challenges that the world faces that are having an impact on the lives of people, particularly when it comes to food, to energy – these challenges have been dramatically exacerbated by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” said Blinken on the Ukraine crisis in his public remarks shared by the US Department of State.
“Continued the conversation with Secretary Blinken on global and regional issues, this time at Bali G-20 FMM. Our relationship today allows us to approach a range of challenges with greater understanding and openness,” said Jaishankar in a tweet.
Listing the challenges, he said, “Whether it is on the challenging side –food insecurity, energy insecurity, climate change– but also whether it’s opportunities for growth, for jobs, for progress, people’s lives, the G20 is a vital institution.”
Jaishankar further said, “I think developing countries find that their options are very constricted…They’re really reeling under our process and debilitating challenges…, some of which we’ll be working on at the next session. “But I also look forward to the occasion today to discuss our bilateral relationship…very well. Over the last year and a half we’ve seen some really remarkable developments in our ties…Thank you.”