Indonesia’s goal of hosting a peaceful and productive G20 Summit in November 2022 is being cast into growing doubt amidst growing international tensions fueled by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
In a runup to the November Summit, Indonesia convened a meeting of G20 member nation foreign ministers in Bali on 08 July 2022. Disappointing to the Indonesian hosts, the Bali event saw many attendees acting in an openly recalcitrant manner, including a high dudgeon walkout in the early stages of the gathering by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, accused the Russian Foreign Affairs Minister of failing to respect the G20 Meeting of Foreign Ministers. The highly critical accusation from the EU representative was made against Lavrov after the latter walked out of a meeting of foreign ministers in the Nusa Dua.
In Nusa Dua, Lavrov finished his speech presenting the Russian perspective on Ukraine and other topics and then left the proceedings without listening to his G20 counterparts table their countries’ respective positions.
Kompas.com, reporting on the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meetings (FMM), quotes Borrell, speaking on behalf of the EU, saying: “He (Lavrov) spoke and then left without any explanation. He didn’t listen to other Ministers’ remarks and avoided every interaction and discussion.”
The State News Agency Antara quoted Borrell alleging that Lavrov’s behavior in Bali failed to respect the G20 meeting of foreign ministers and that he attended without any intention to seek a solution to the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
The Russian-Ukraine conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic drew international attention to the Bali meeting of G20 foreign ministers that serves as a preliminary before the main event of the G20 Summit in November 2022. Borrell explained the Bali meeting was convened spontaneously amidst the emotional atmosphere of the life and death drama of those living in the Ukraine war zone.
Borrell also mentioned the food crisis resulting from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, warning of the effects on the global food supply if the war does not end soon. “It is not only the Ukraine that will suffer,” said the EU official.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the meeting of foreign ministers under Indonesia’s G20 presidency was a success with the attendance of all the G20 foreign ministers to discuss significant global challenges. Adding: “This is an achievement: gathering all the key players in one room for talks.
During the Bali meeting, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had a one-on-one side-meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Meanwhile, reflecting the current state of US and Russian relations, Blinken and Lavrov made no effort to meet in Bali.
“Discussion were conducted in a very open atmosphere, and everyone accepted that they each had their position, but that fact was not of no great importance.” Retno acknowledged Larov’s abrupt departure from the meeting room, saying other foreign ministers were also coming and going from the room to undertake bi-lateral side meetings with their international counterparts.
Dian Triansyah Djani, an Indonesian career diplomat, assigned to coordinating the G20 Summit and its side meetings, told the press that no delegations walked out of the Bali meeting. Dian said if such a walkout took place, it was merely a normal part of international diplomacy. “What’s important is that (what happened) was not a walk out against Indonesia’s leadership of the G20,” added Dian.
Continuing in the same vein, Dian insisted that the attendance of all the foreign ministers of the G20 in Bali showed international faith in Indonesia’s current presidency of the G20. Indonesia demonstrated its ability to conduct neutral meetings reflecting the country’s commitment to a foreign policy that is independent, active, and always in search of solutions to global problems.
In a separate report from Kompas.com, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly complained after the reported Friday 08 July 2022 “walk out” at the Nusa Dua Complex. Lavrov lamented that foreign ministers attending the Bali meeting used the occasion to launch verbal attacks on Russia instead of remaining “on topic” by discussing global economic challenges. After leaving the meeting, Lavrov said he decided not to attend the main meeting and a group photograph.
A Russian news source, Russia Today, claimed that some countries had agreed to try to punish Russian because of the Ukraine conflict, using the G20 meeting in Bali to underline Russian diplomatic isolation. “It’s clear they used the G20 for a manufactured purpose,” said Lavrov.
Lavrov rejected moves to depict Russia as aggressors, invaders, or occupiers. He also claimed that Western Nations were sending mixed signals, with some countries calling for a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict while other nations are urging Ukraine to fight.
Continuing, and quoted by The Guardian, Lavrov said: “If the west doesn’t want talks to take place but wishes for Ukraine to defeat Russia on the battlefield – because both views have been expressed – then perhaps there is nothing to talk about with the west.”
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