Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar clarified that the absence of China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in New Delhi is not unusual and is unrelated to India.
Sherpas from G20 nations are currently in discussions to establish a consensus and formulate a declaration for the September 9-10 summit in New Delhi, as stated by Jaishankar in a recent interview with ANI on Wednesday.
“No, no. I do not think it has anything to do with India,” he told ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake when asked if Putin and Xi are skipping the summit because they are miffed with India.
“I think whatever decision they make, they would know best. But I would not see it as you would suggest,” he said.
Jaishankar stated that their absence will help consensus-building and the summit declaration, emphasizing ongoing negotiations.
New Delhi confronts high expectations from the G20 amidst a complex global landscape characterized by the pandemic, conflicts, climate change, debt issues, and political challenges, making the situation particularly challenging.
The G20 comprises the world’s 20 major economies, and its leaders work together to address global issues. However, a significant geopolitical conflict related to the Ukraine war hinders their ability to make meaningful progress.
According to analysts and officials, achieving a consensus leader declaration at the summit would be challenging with Putin and Xi absent and divisions over the war. US President Joe Biden’s summit agenda prioritizes reforming the World Bank and encouraging other multilateral development banks to increase funding for climate change and infrastructure projects, as stated by the White House on Tuesday.
Japanese PM Kishida aims to discuss digital matters and food security, while India is actively exploring a global crypto asset regulation framework.
