The G20 summit in Delhi set the direction for fairness in global governance, said Sergey Lavrov. (File)
New Delhi:
Western powers have failed to “Ukrainize” the G20 agenda, largely due to the consolidated efforts of the grouping’s member states from the global South, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who led the bloc leaders unveiled a statement that avoided condemning Moscow for its war against Ukraine.
He also described the G20 summit under the Indian presidency as a “breakthrough” in many respects as its outcomes showed the world a path to progress on a range of challenges.
“We didn’t expect that. We were ready to defend our wording of the text. The South is no longer willing to be lectured,” he said, referring to the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration.
India managed to build an unexpected consensus among the G20 countries on the controversial conflict in Ukraine through a series of hectic negotiations in which emerging economies such as Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia played a leading role in reaching an agreement on the declaration.
At a press conference, Lavrov said India has played an important role in “preventing the West” from continuing its approach on many issues, including Ukraine.
The G20 members of the Global South thwarted the West’s attempts to “Ukrainize” the summit’s agenda, he noted.
The summit statement clearly conveyed the message that military conflicts in the world must be resolved according to the UN Charter and that Western powers will not be able to continue with their concepts for the resolution of various crises, Lavrov said.
“The summit was a breakthrough as it provided clear guidelines for achieving such objectives (ensuring balance of interests in the global economy),” he said, while praising the group’s Indian presidency.
In his remarks, the Russian Foreign Minister said the South’s joint position prevented the West from focusing the G20 summit’s agenda on Ukraine.
“Thanks largely to the South’s consolidated position in protecting its legitimate interests, Western attempts to focus the agenda on Ukraine at the expense of discussing the pressing issues facing developing countries have failed,” he said.
Lavrov said that for the first time in the history of the G20, India has managed to consolidate representatives of the Global South.
He said the G20 developing countries have a “correct picture” of what is happening in Ukraine, claiming that “the Kiev regime has single-handedly destroyed the territorial integrity of its country.”
Mr. Lavrov also noted that the G20 Summit in New Delhi also provided direction for fairness in global governance and finance.
“I would like to express my gratitude to India for preventing attempts to politicize the G20,” he said, adding that the West will not be able to remain a “hegemon” as we see new centers of power emerging in the world.
On the challenges posed by climate change, the Russian Foreign Minister said Western powers have not fulfilled their pledge to provide $100 billion annually to developing countries to tackle climate change.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
