A major problem was getting everyone in the room: Jaishankar on Bali G20 Summit

Including all members in conversations is the “greatest commitment” under India’s leadership, said external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday, adding that even having everyone in the room was a huge difficulty during the most recent G20 summit in Bali. Jaishankar asserted that India has a middle ground to bring all parties to the negotiating table during the G20 University Connect session.

“World is very polarised. Even having everybody in the same room was a real challenge at the last G20 meeting in Bali. Country-like India which is independent-minded, has a middle ground to bring different parties to the table,” the minister said.

Jaishankar also emphasised the struggles experienced by the global south as a result of polarization.

“The polarisation in the world may occur elsewhere, but people in the Global South suffer the most. Our intentions would be to get leaders to understand what a large part of the world thinks,” he said, adding that it is the time when India must become the voice of the under-represented Global South.

The external affairs minister stressed the significance of the juncture by saying that this development shouldn’t be viewed as merely another diplomatic event.

“On the contrary, it is a crucial responsibility that is being assumed by India at a very challenging time in world politics and at an inflection point in India’s own history,” Jaishankar said.

“There are very good reasons why the world today is taking a much deeper interest in us. G20 presidency offers an opportunity to share our story with others, particularly those who may transpose some of our experiences onto their performance or challenges,” he added.

Students and prominent academics from 75 universities around the nation participated virtually in the G20 University Connect with senior executives, researchers, and academics.