Joe Biden says G20 grouping can drive solutions to ‘most pressing issues’, Russia lauds ‘breakthrough’ conclave

He was among the gamut of world leaders in attendance at the Summit held on Saturday and Sunday. His statement came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a renewed push for expansion of the UN Security Council and reforms in all global institutions to reflect the world’s “new realities”, apart from a contentious resolution on Ukraine, which was hailed as his diplomatic victory. He also handed the G20 presidency gavel to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

At a moment when the global economy is suffering from the overlapping shocks of the climate crisis, fragility, and conflict, this year’s Summit proved that the G20 can still drive solutions to our most pressing issues. pic.twitter.com/R2jq0TdavR

— President Biden (@POTUS) September 10, 2023

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the “breakthrough” conclave saw India playing an important role in “preventing the West” from taking forward their approach on many issues, including Ukraine. He added that the summit’s outcomes showed a path for the world to move forward on a range of challenges and demonstrated the strength and importance of the Global South.

“I want to express my gratitude to India for preventing attempts to politicise the G20,” he said, adding the West will not be able to remain a “hegemony” as we see new centres of power coming up in the world. On Saturday, the group adopted a Leaders’ Declaration that avoided condemning Russia for the war but highlighted the human suffering the conflict had caused and called on all states not to use force to grab territory.

Further he said the Western powers have done nothing about their promise of providing $100 billion annually to developing nations to deal with climate change.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron hailed India’s attempt to send a message of unity and peace to the world while Russia was still waging its aggression against Ukraine. He said the vast majority of G20 countries condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine but G20 should not get stuck because of one issue, adding that the declaration was not a diplomatic victory for Moscow.

Referring to the India-French strategic partnership, he said the relationship is much more than bilateral engagement and that the two countries have to work towards resisting the fragmentation of the world.

Calling India its greatest trade partner in South Asia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “We will be able to tap the great potential of cooperation, primarily in the field of economy and many other sectors, after the election that took place in Turkiye earlier this year.” He also hailed the African Union becoming a member of the G20, saying it would revitalise the grouping.

Canadian premier Justin Trudeau said India is an extraordinarily important economy in the world and an important partner to Canada. Speaking on the issue of Khalistani protests, he said, “Canada will always defend freedom of peaceful protest and we are always there to push back against hatred.”

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the G20 Leaders’ declaration a “truly meaningful achievement”, but highlighted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is something that could shake the foundation of cooperation at G20.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese termed the summit “successful”. He had said on Saturday that prospects of inking a free trade agreement with the European Union were better this year than in 2024, after talks stalled in July.

A successful G20 meeting hosted by @narendramodi in New Delhi today followed by a good bilateral discussion about concluding the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement between Australia and India 🇦🇺🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/tglLOScrcJ

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) September 9, 2023

With inputs from agencies