With the stage set for the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi in the shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine, India is determined to display diplomatic deftness to steer the agenda away from the Ukraine conflict towards the real issues that the G20 is supposed to focus on. “Though it will be a serious challenge for New Delhi to ensure that the foreign ministers’ conclave does not get overshadowed by the Ukraine conflict and that the ministers remain focused on the real and key agenda of the conclave, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be working hard to make the meeting a grand success,” diplomatic sources told The Daily Guardian.
In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream is to carve out a strong position for India in global geopolitics. And, the G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting will provide a good opportunity to New Delhi to achieve that goal, sources added. According to sources, Jaishankar has a plan to work closely with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken throughout the conclave to ensure smooth discussions and sessions, avoiding any kind of confrontation over Ukraine. PM Modi is expected to address the foreign ministers and other member countries.
“There will be no dilution and alteration in India’s stand vis-à-vis Russian war in Ukraine. During their addresses, PM Modi and EAM Jaishankar will be reaffirming India’s position that the problems between Russia and Ukraine must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue and that there must be an immediate cessation to violence,” sources said.
The US-China tension over Taiwan is another issue that India has to deal with while ensuring the smooth conduction of sessions. The host India is hoping that issues like climate change, third world debt among other issues like multilateralism, economics and development are not overlooked.
While the Indian diplomatic team will have to do a balancing act to see that the conclave is conducted smoothly, India will at the same time be continuing to stick to its neutral stance on the Ukraine crisis despite the West’s pressure to condemn Russia. “That India is on the side of the peace is what Jaishankar is going to emphasise on,” sources said.
The summit, which begins on 1 March, comes a week after the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a significant development that needs to be recalled, the Western nations faced a setback at the global forum after failing to reach a consensus to issue a joint statement denouncing Russia for its war against Ukraine last week, at the first G20 finance ministers meeting under India’s G20 presidency.
Russia and China resisted the US move to issue a statement. According to reports, New Delhi issued a chair’s summary that said, “most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed that it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy”.
India does not want the Bali development to be repeated in New Delhi. Lavrov had last year walked out of a similar foreign ministers’ meeting hosted by Indonesia, after the US and the rest of the West slammed Russia for its war against Ukraine.