Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, March 2: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar acknowledged after a meeting of foreign ministers at the beginning of a two-day event that there were “divergences” on the Ukraine crisis inside the G20 grouping and the differences could not be resolved.
“There were issues and very frankly they were concerned with the Ukraine conflict. There were divergences. There were differences, which we could not be reconciled,” Jaishankar said, explaining why there was an outcome document instead of a joint statement.
After attempts by Russia and China to soften wording on the Ukraine crisis, the G20 Finance Ministers meeting last week in Bangalore was unable to reach consensus on a statement.
The foreign minister emphasised that “the bulk of topics” pertaining to the worries of the global south were in agreement.
“There were a large number of issues on which there was agreement, like strengthening multilateralism, promoting food and energy security, climate change, gender issues, counter terror…On the bulk of issues which concern the global south, there was a considerable meeting of minds that has been captured by outcome document,” said the Foreign Minister.
“In terms of the outcome document you will see that there was almost 90 per cent agreement. Just on two paras we were not able to get everybody on the same page – or para,” he added.
