G20 leaders today begin a two-day summit on the Indonesian island of Bali, which is expected to be marked by disagreements over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This is the first G20 summit since the war in Ukraine began on February 24 this year, and the lack of consensus could be reflected in the final joint declaration, as was the case at the East Asia summit held on Sunday in Phnom. Penh.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not participate in the summit of the 20 most developed economies and emerging countries, where he will be represented by his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov.
Moscow alleged scheduling problems and the need for Putin to remain in Russia to justify his absence.
Although Ukraine is not a member of the G20, President Volodymyr Zelensky was invited by his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, acting chairman of the group, to speak by videoconference.
Under the slogan “recover together, recover stronger”, the summit should focus on the global risks of the covid-19 pandemic, the economic recession and sustainable development, as predicted by the Indonesian presidency of the G20.
The conflict in Ukraine has, however, created new global problems that will have to be discussed in Bali, such as the energy crisis or the risk of food shortages, in addition to the war itself.
The summit on the so-called “island of the gods” was already marked by an unprecedented face-to-face meeting between the presidents of the United States, Joe Biden, and China, Xi Jinping, on Monday.
Other bilateral meetings are planned, such as Xi’s with French President Emmanuel Macron, announced today.
In addition to Xi, Biden, Macron and host Widodo, presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkey), Yoon Suk-yeol (South Korea), Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa) and Alberto Fernández (Argentina) participate.
The list also includes heads of government Olaf Scholz (Germany), Giorgia Meloni (Italy) Rishi Sunak (United Kingdom), Fumio Ksihida (Japan) and Narendra Modi (India).
Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese (Australia), Justin Trudeau (Canada) and Mohammad bin Salman (Saudi Arabia) are also in Bali, as is the head of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, in this case as a guest.
The European Union, which is also a member of the G20, sent the presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and of the European Council, Charles Michel.
In addition to Russia, two other countries are represented by the heads of diplomacy, Brazil, by Carlos Alberto França, and Mexico, by Marcelo Ebrard.
Also in Bali are the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, and the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, among other institutional representatives.
Together, the G20 represents 60% of the world’s population, 80% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 75% of exports worldwide, according to data from the group’s Indonesian presidency.
The summit takes place 20 years after a terrorist attack on the tourist island that left 202 dead of 23 nationalities, including a Portuguese.
To ensure security, Indonesia has deployed 18,000 military and police to the Nusa Dua area of southern Bali, where participants are housed in 20 hotels.
And in the event of a natural disaster on an island located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, prone to earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, 1,500 security forces are prepared to evacuate participants to safety.
