DENPASAR, Bali: The Group of 20 Summit opened on Tuesday with calls to end the war in Ukraine, as world leaders gather for discussions on mending the struggling global economy after the coronavirus pandemic and the fallout of the conflict in Europe.
The G20, comprising 19 states and the EU, accounts for over 80 percent of the world’s GDP, 75 percent of international trade, and 60 percent of its population. The group includes countries ranging from Brazil to Saudi Arabia.
Indonesia, which this year holds the rotating G20 presidency, is hosting the leader’s summit in Bali on Nov. 15-16, with 17 leaders of the G20 and the heads of other invited countries and international organizations in attendance.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who has called for dialogue since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in late February, opened the talks with a plea to end the war in Europe.
“We have no other option. Paradigm of collaboration is badly needed to save the world. We all have responsibility, not only for our people, but also for the people of the world,” Widodo said during his opening remarks.
“Being responsible here also means that we must end the war. If the war does not end, it will be difficult for the world to move forward. If the war does not end, it will be difficult for us to take responsibility for the future of current generation and future generations.
“We should not divide the world into parts. We must not allow the world to fall into another cold war,” he added before world leaders began closed-door discussions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who appeared in a video speech on the first day of the summit, told the roomful of officials that Russia’s war must end now.
“I am convinced now is the time when the Russian destructive war must and can be stopped,” Zelensky said, addressing the audience in Ukrainian.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was not in the room, as he had canceled his participation and was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The invasion of Ukraine is “strongly condemned” by “most” members of the G20, according to a draft of a declaration, as reported by Reuters news agency.
The possibility of a final communique from the summit has been in question, as the war is likely to affect the document that has to be adopted by all G20 members. A meeting of ministers representing them failed to produce a consensus in July, as officials did not agree on the reasons for the current crisis.
