PM calls for ceasefire in Ukraine at G20 summit
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reiterated his call for a return to the path of ceasefire and diplomacy in Ukraine, saying G20 members should show “concrete and collective resolve” to ensure peace and security in the world.
Addressing the first working session of the G20 Summit in Bali that focused on food and energy security, Modi also said the onus of creating a new world order for the post-Covid-19 period has fallen on the grouping of the world’s 20 largest economies as multilateral institutions such as United Nations (UN) have been unsuccessful.
The G20 leaders have gathered for a two-day meeting in the Indonesian resort of Bali amid deep divisions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Western leaders such as US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have said they will use the summit to denounce Russia’s actions and to strengthen international support to oppose the war.
“I have repeatedly said that we have to find a way to return to the path of ceasefire and diplomacy in Ukraine,” Modi said in his address, speaking in Hindi.
He emphasised that finding a solution to the Ukraine crisis will be a focus of India’s G20 presidency, which begins in December. “The need of the hour is to show concrete and collective resolve to ensure peace, harmony and security in the world.
I am confident that next year when the G20 meets in the holy land of Buddha and Gandhi, we will all agree to convey a strong message of peace to the world,” he said.
India has refrained from publicly criticising Russia’s invasion and consistently called for an end to hostilities and a return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue. Modi, who has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky several times, has also suggested direct talks between the two leaders.
Noting that world leaders had made a serious effort to take the path of peace after World War 2, Modi said, “Now it’s our turn. The onus of creating a new world order for the post-Covid period lies on our shoulders. The need of the hour is to show concrete and collective resolve to ensure peace, harmony and security in the world.”
The G20 should “not hesitate to acknowledge that multilateral institutions such as the UN have been unsuccessful” in dealing with the global problems associated with climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic and the developments in Ukraine, he said.
“And we have all failed to make suitable reforms in them [multilateral institutions]. Therefore, today the world has greater expectations from the G20, the relevance of our group has become more significant,” he added.
Modi congratulated President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, the current G20 president, for giving effective leadership to the grouping in a challenging global envi