India has brought G20's focus back on real issues, says EAM S Jaishankar

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, June 12

India on Monday virtually ruled out any grandstanding by western countries on Ukraine by pointing out that its G20 presidency had brought the spotlight on “real issues of the world” as the matter was dealt in light of an understanding agreed upon at the previous G20 summit in Bali.

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A couple of days after having made it clear that India would not invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the G20 summit in New Delhi in September, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said a narrative had begun to take root that the Ukraine conflict and its repercussions “should not obfuscate, should not completely sideline the real concerns and pain points of the Global South”.

“There are countries that can’t afford food. They are running out of fuel. A lot of it (such counties) is in this region. Look at our neighbours. They are among those who suffered a lot last year. I made a few trips to Africa, you can see the impact of that,” said Jaishankar after the end of Monday’s deliberations by the G20 Development Ministers at Varanasi.

“We are in no way diminishing the seriousness of the conflict and consequences. Right now, our focus is to address the pressing needs of developing countries, who are really teetering on the edge of an abyss. Today, we got the G20 to look at sustainable development growth, think about financing for the Global South, think about climate financing, women’s issues and education,” said Jaishankar.