Brazil and China Support Indonesia
As president of the G20, one of the challenges facing Indonesia is managing the polarization of the G20 in the aftermath of the conflict of interest between the US and its allies and Russia in the Ukrainian crisis.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabiain, in a video conference from his Vahdettin Pavilion, in Istanbul, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020. Erdogan said Sunday that Turkey sees itself as a part of Europe, but he called on the European Union to “keep your promises” on issues such as the country’s membership bid and refugees.
Brazil and China support Indonesia's move to invite all members of the G20, including Russia. Meanwhile, the United States and Australia want Russia to be excluded.
BRASILIA, FRIDAY — Brazil and China have expressed their support for Indonesia’s invitation to all Group of 20 (G20) members, including Russia, to the G20 activities. Meanwhile, the United States and Australia have said that Russia should not be involved in the G20.
“We’ve seen that a number of initiatives have emerged in various international organizations to exclude or suspend Russia. Brazil clearly opposes these initiatives, in accordance with our traditional position of supporting multilateralists in the international legal arena," said Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Franca in front of the Senate in Brasilia, Thursday local time, or Friday (25/3/2022) Western Indonesia Time.
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As president of the G20, one of the challenges facing Indonesia is managing the polarization of the G20 in the aftermath of the conflict of interest between the US and its allies and Russia in the Ukrainian crisis. The US and its allies are trying to isolate Russia, which invaded Ukraine on Feb 24.
A number of countries have asked Indonesia not to invite Russia to the G20 activities.
The US and Australia have openly conveyed through the mass media that Russia should not be involved in the G20. However, according to information compiled by Kompas, several other countries have also stated the same thing in their correspondence and informal communication with the government of Indonesia.
The co-sherpa of G20 Indonesia, Dian Triansyah Djani, on Thursday (24/3), stated that Indonesia as the president of the G20 and in line with previous presidents, of course invited all members of the G20. It is an Indonesian principle that when trusted as the leader of a forum or organization, it acts based on the prevailing rules and procedures. “Similarly with the G20. It is an obligation for all G20 presidents to invite all their members," he said.
Workers give the last touch to a banner near La Nuvola (the cloud) convention center where the G20 summit is scheduled to take place in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. A Group of 20 summit scheduled for this weekend in Rome is the first in-person gathering of leaders of the world's biggest economies since the COVID-19 pandemic started. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The focus of the G20 this year, said Dian, is on tackling global recovery, which has become a global priority. The world is not yet completely free from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fully functional
Franca said that the right forum to debate issues of peace and security is the United Nations, not the G20. Previously, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had made it clear that Brazil remained neutral on the conflict in Ukraine.
“The most important thing right now is to keep all international forums fully functional, including the G20. And that means all members are present," he said.
No member of the G20 has the right to exclude another member from G20 membership.
The Chinese government has also expressed support for Indonesia's decision to invite all G20 members to G20 activities. Quoting China Daily, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin in Beijing, on Wednesday (23/3), stated that Russia is an important member of the G20. No member of the G20 has the right to exclude another member from G20 membership.
The G20, according to Wang, is a great platform for international economic cooperation with the participation of the world's major economies. "China supports Indonesia, which is the leader of the G20 in 2022, in focusing on the theme 'Recover Together, Recover Stronger' and to bring about greater G20 cooperation in various areas according to the agenda that has been set," he said.
Proposing Ukraine
US President Joe Biden has expressed his aspiration that Russia be excluded from the G20. This was conveyed when answering reporters' questions at a press conference after the meeting of the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday.
"I raised the issue [in the NATO forum] about the possibility of whether it [expelling Russia] could be done. If Indonesia and some other countries don't agree, we should, in my view, get Ukraine to attend the [G20] meeting as an observer," Biden said.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Canberra on Thursday expressed the same position as the US. He made it clear that he was reluctant to sit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "The idea of sitting down with Vladimir Putin, when the United States is in a position to declare he [Putin] committed war crimes in Ukraine, seems to me to be going too far," he said.
On the contrary, Australia wants Indonesia's G20 presidency to be successful.
Quoted by the Australian ABC news agency, Morrison said, as a friendly country and partner of Indonesia, Australia did not want to boycott Indonesia's G20 presidency and cause a breach in the relations between the two countries. On the contrary, Australia wants Indonesia's G20 presidency to be successful.
“We want to focus primarily on our challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. But we need people who don't invade other countries," he said.
Not fatal
From Moscow, the Russian government responded to the efforts of the US and its allies to isolate the country with the largest area in the world from the G20. If possible, Russia will participate. Otherwise, Russia believes it will not have a fatal impact.
“The G20 is an important forum. However, on the other hand, given the current conditions, when most of the G20 members are in a position to launch an economic war against Russia on their initiative, there will be no fatal impacts [if Russia is isolated from the G20]," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow, on Friday, as quoted by the Russian news agency, TASS.
Journalist raise their hands to ask questions as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a press conference at the La Nuvola conference center for the G20 summit in Rome, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. Leaders of the world's biggest economies made a compromise commitment Sunday to reach carbon neutrality "by or around mid-century" as they wrapped up a two-day summit that was laying the groundwork for the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
On the other hand, Peskov added, Russia would consider the opinions of other G20 members. Russia is ready to participate if conditions allow.
Responding to Biden's discourse that Ukraine be invited as an observer at the G20 if Russia is still invited, spokesperson for the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Teuku Faizasyah, only gave a brief response. "I cannot comment further on that," he said.
The Indonesian government on Wednesday sent invitations to all G20 members for the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Washington DC, on April 20. This is the first G20 ministerial meeting since Russia's attack on Ukraine.
The forum will be a barometer of the G20 Indonesia 2022 presidency, including Indonesia's stance and the response of G20 members to Indonesia's decision. There will be a further series of ministerial level meetings until the climax of the summit, which will be attended by the heads of state and heads of government of the G20 in Bali, Nov. 15-16.
(AP/AFP)
(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo)
