Global South helped avoid Ukraine issue overshadowing G20 agenda: Russia

Calling it a “breakthrough summit”, Lavrov said it has provided a direction towards fairness in global governance and global finance. He also expressed his gratitude to India for preventing attempts to politicise G20.

Addressing a briefing, Lavrov termed the Summit a “milestone” and a “clear guiding star” saying it provides a way forward to move ahead in many key areas. He noted that the active role of the Indian presidency ” has genuinely consolidated the G20 countries from the Global South for the first time in history.”

The Russian foreign minister also stressed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposal to hold a virtual G20 meeting in November “will be a reality check on how current decisions are implemented.”

On the consensus reached over New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit Declaration, Lavrov said Russia did not expect such a declaration and underlined that Moscow cannot isolate the part on Russia and Ukraine from the rest of the work on the declaration. “When they agreed to that, perhaps it was the voice of their conscience. Speaking frankly, we didn’t expect that… Let me underline that we cannot isolate that paragraph (on Ukraine and Russia) from the rest of the work on the declaration. The main content of the declaration this year is all about the awakening of the Global South and the consolidation of the Global South that is truly willing for the G20 to work for its main goals…” he said.

Targeting the West, Lavrov said, “As soon as we start talking about Ukraine, the West is unable to maintain an intelligent discussion, all it can do is demand that Russia stop its aggression and restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but the UN charter also mentioned the principle of equality…”.

Stating that the Kyiv regime had destroyed the territorial integrity of its country with its own hand, he added, “I believe that some of our Western colleagues understand it too but you know very well that they are placing their bets on Russia’s strategic defeat…”

The minister went on to say that the West will not be able to remain a hegemony as we see new centres of power in world.

Targeting the West on the issue of climate change, he said, “They has done nothing on its promise of providing USD 100 billion annually to developing nations to deal with the matter.”

Meanwhile, as the G20 drew to a close and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday handed over the gavel of presidency to the President of Brazil Luiz Inácio da Silva.

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