Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, arrived in Bali, an Indonesian resort island, for the G20...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, arrived in Bali, an Indonesian resort island, for the G20 summit, which is expected to be overshadowed by tensions brought on by the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Indonesia is hosting the G20 conference, which runs through Friday. This year, Indonesia has struggled to strike a balance between hosting a global summit while also dealing with a war-related worldwide food crisis.
Foreign diplomats arrived on the tropical island of Bali on Thursday for the summit, and there was strong security in place there in the Nusa Dua region.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement before to her arrival in Bali that the G20 summit cannot be a platform for Russia given its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
"Making sure that international law is respected and followed is in our collective best interest. That is the link between them all "said Baerbock in a statement.
The summit will mark the first in-person encounter between some of Russia's most vocal detractors and longtime foreign minister Lavrov since the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow has referred to as a "special military operation."
According to the Russian news agency TASS, Lavrov had arrived in Bali and intended to visit certain G20 peers outside of the summit. However, ministers such as Baerbock and the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken have said they will not meet with Lavrov.
The Group of 20 comprises both Western nations who have sanctioned Russia for alleged war crimes in the Ukraine as well as more subdued nations like China, Indonesia, India, and South Africa.
The Bali summit will not be "business as usual," according to certain European and American officials. A spokeswoman for the German foreign minister said the G7 nations will coordinate their reaction to Lavrov in Bali.
When Russian representatives were present at a G20 finance meeting in Washington in April, senior members from the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States left the room.
Analysts believe Western governments appear to have decided it would be futile to give the floor to Russia, despite early discussion of boycotting upcoming G20 meetings.
The two-day meeting will cover energy and food security, with Russia accused of provoking a worldwide food crisis and escalating inflation by obstructing grain supplies from Ukraine. Russia has stated that it is prepared to enable unimpeded grain shipments.
