Tawqeer Hussain
Spanish vice president and minister for Economy and Digitalisation on Friday said that the discussions on ‘communique’ are getting more difficult.
“Discussion is getting more difficult as the war goes on. To the good work of the Indian Presidency, we are making progress on the different open issues” she said.
“The language that has been agreed by leaders during Bali Summit has to feature in the communique” she added.
India has been trying hard to negotiate a joint communique acceptable to all for the last three days but is facing strong resentment from the American, Russian and Chinese delegations.
Sources say, there is ‘deep division, conflicting thoughts’ on describing the war in Ukraine as ‘extreme opinions are not ready to give up on their insistence and water down the tone’, adding that issues of debt restructuring and reforms in multilateral institutions are other issues of difference.
“US, G7 countries have been adamant on demands for stronger words to condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine, but delegations from Russia, China want to tone down the wording”.
“India is trying its best to bring some consensus among the member countries, but, so far, it isn’t working,” the source added.
“India hasn’t given up yet and is still working to bring some consensus. If not then, we might have to satisfy ourselves with the Chair Summary,” a source added.
India, which holds the current presidency of G20, has so far maintained a neutral position over the war in Ukraine and has voiced ‘very deep’ concern over the Ukraine conflict; urging Russia, and Ukraine to return to the path of ‘dialogue and diplomacy’.
Earlier on Friday, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said that there was no way the group could step back from a joint statement agreed upon at the G20 summit in Bali.
“Either we stick to the Bali communique or France will oppose any communique during this G20 of the Finance Ministers,” Le Maire said to the reporters in Bengaluru.
He stressed that the war in Ukraine is not limited to a region but has its effects worldwide.
“The war in Ukraine is not a regional conflict but a global conflict which not only affects Ukraine and European Countries but all countries around the world”.
The meeting on Joint communique is currently in process.
