NEW DELHI (AP) — The Group of 20 world’s largest economies welcomed the African Union as a member as its annual summit began Saturday, but its language on the contentious issue of Russia’s war in Ukraine was limited to calls for a territorial seizure to avoid violence or the use of nuclear weapons.
Due to disagreements between members, particularly over disagreements about the war, there were serious doubts that an agreement could be reached.
The G20 final statement, released a day before the summit officially ended, contained less harsh language on war than a statement made at the Bali meeting last year.
It said members reaffirmed their national positions in resolutions adopted at the United Nations, calling for “all States to act in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter as a whole.”
“In accordance with the UN Charter, all States must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek the acquisition of territory contrary to the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any State. The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,” it said.
There was widespread support for the AU’s admission to the G20, making it the second regional bloc after the European Union to become a permanent member and adding to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to give the global South a greater voice gave momentum.
Modi shook hands with the current AU chairman, Comoros President Azali Assoumani, and gave him a warm hug before inviting him to sit at the table.
The continent was also put in the spotlight by the Morocco earthquake, which struck while most delegates gathered in New Delhi were asleep. Modi offered help and support in his opening speeches.
“On behalf of all of us, I would like to express our deepest condolences to the people affected by the earthquake that recently struck Morocco. We pray that all those injured get well soon. The entire global community stands by Morocco in this difficult time and we are ready to provide them with all possible assistance,” he said.
He told leaders they needed to find “concrete solutions” to the widespread challenges, which he said stemmed from the “up and downs of the global economy, the North-South divide, the East-West divide,” and others Issues such as terrorism, cybersecurity, health and water security.
Modi addressed delegates from behind a nameplate that listed his country not as India but as “Bharat,” an ancient Sanskrit name championed by his Hindu nationalist supporters and which his government pushed through at the G20 summit has.
With the world’s main focus on Russia’s war in Ukraine, India wants to pay more attention to the needs of developing countries at the summit – even if it is impossible to decouple many issues, such as food and energy security, from the European conflict.
“Friends, post COVID-19, the world is facing trust deficit,” Modi said. “The war exacerbated this trust deficit. If we can defeat COVID, we can also overcome the trust deficit caused by the war,” he said, but avoided naming the countries involved.
When the summit opened, at least a fifth of G20 leaders were not in New Delhi. The leaders of Russia and China decided not to come to ensure there were no hard face-to-face talks with their American and European counterparts over several disputes, most notably the war in Ukraine. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled his attendance after testing positive for COVID-19, and Mexico’s President also decided to miss the event.
A number of preparatory meetings leading up to the summit failed to reach agreement, largely due to disagreements over Ukraine. Ending the weekend without such a statement would underscore how tense relations have become and tarnish the image Modi has tried to cultivate of India as a global problem-solver.
A draft of the final statement distributed among diplomats and obtained by The Associated Press made no mention of the war in Ukraine and left a section under the heading “Geopolitical situation” blank. It was not immediately clear when this version was produced.
Attendees arriving in the Indian capital were greeted by traffic-free streets and adorned with fresh flowers and seemingly endless placards featuring slogans and Modi’s face. Security was extremely tight, with most journalists and the public staying away from the summit venue.
The G20 agenda included issues of crucial importance for developing countries, including alternative fuels such as hydrogen, resource efficiency, food security and the development of a common framework for digital public infrastructure.
Countries were also expected to look at reforming development banks such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to help make funds more accessible to low- and middle-income countries as they seek solutions to combat, among other things, the Search for climate change.
India’s top G20 negotiator, Amitabh Kant, told reporters that boosting climate action and climate finance is a top priority, especially for developing and emerging economies.
“We felt that the Global South, developing countries and emerging economies need to be able to get long-term funding,” he said.
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French President Emmanuel Macron was late and missed the opening speech and first session after being in Paris to attend the opening of the Rugby World Cup.
With so many other issues on the table, Human Rights Watch urged G20 leaders not to be distracted by international disunity at the summit.
Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy director of the organization’s Asia division, added that members “should not be afraid to openly discuss challenges such as gender discrimination, racism and other entrenched barriers to equality, including with host India, where the civil and political rights have deteriorated sharply in the wake of the deal.” Modi government.”
The summit comes just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin said a landmark deal that would allow Ukraine to export grain safely through the Black Sea would not be restored until Western nations met its demands on Russia’s own agricultural exports fulfill. The original deal was negotiated by the United Nations and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but Russia refused to extend it in July, saying a parallel deal that promised to remove barriers to Russian food and fertilizer exports would had not been complied with.
Russia sent Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as its top representative to the G20 summit. Erdogan himself was present in the Indian capital and others ahead of the summit said they hoped to find solutions even as the Russian military continued its attacks on Ukraine’s ports.
“The Kremlin’s war is also destroying lives far beyond Ukraine, including here in South Asia,” European Council President Charles Michel told reporters in New Delhi on Friday. “More than 250 million people worldwide are acutely food insecure and the Kremlin is depriving them of the food they urgently need by targeting Ukraine’s ports.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he hoped to mobilize international resources to counteract the impact of Russian measures on global food supplies. In response to Moscow’s actions, London will host a global food security summit in November. Sunak’s government has also said Royal Air Force planes will fly over the Black Sea to prevent Russia from attacking cargo ships transporting grain from Ukraine to developing countries.
Hundreds of Tibetan exiles protested far from the summit venue to condemn China’s involvement in the event and urge leaders to discuss Sino-Tibetan relations.
On Friday evening, before the meeting officially began, Modi met with US President Joe Biden. White House adviser Kurt Campbell later told reporters that there was “undeniable warmth and trust” between the two leaders.
Leaders of the US, India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates worked to finalize a joint infrastructure deal that would include ship and rail transport between India and the Middle East to Turkey and beyond, in hopes that it might be announced during the New Delhi Summit.
Calling the resulting deal a potentially “earth-shattering” project, Campbell said that “the strongest supporter of this initiative is India.” In the past, Campbell said, India’s leaders have responded “almost knee-jerk” to opposing such massive multilateral projects.
US government officials tried to downplay the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had not been invited to speak at the G20 summit.
The Ukrainian leader has been appearing regularly, virtually and in person, at such international forums since the war began more than 18 months ago to mobilize allies who remain committed to supporting Ukraine.
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Associated Press writers Krutika Pathi, Sheikh Saaliq, Aamer Madhani, Josh Boak in New Delhi and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.