External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar articulated his perspective on the forthcoming G20 Summit with erudition and finesse during his discourse at the Doordarshan Dialogue themed “G20: The India Way” on Monday. In lieu of dwelling on the proclivities of certain leaders who intend to abstain from the summit, Minister Jaishankar opined that our collective focus ought to be on the stances taken by nations on pivotal matters.
He expounded that each member of the G20, at the impending assembly, shall be instrumental in shaping the contours of global geopolitics. The absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, while noted, should not be the central narrative. Rather, it is the positions these nations adopt when they do participate that shall be indelibly etched in our memory regarding this G20 summit.
Furthermore, Minister Jaishankar elucidated, “At the end of the day, countries are represented by whoever they have chosen to represent them, so the levels of representation should not serve as the ultimate determinant of a nation’s stance.”
Intriguingly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China disclosed that Premier Li Qiang would partake in the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, on September 9 and 10, albeit without providing a rationale for President Xi’s nonattendance. Concurrently, President Putin of Russia conveyed his intent to forgo the summit, designating Minister Sergey Lavrov as his envoy to participate in the plenary sessions scheduled for September 9 and 10. Minister Lavrov is anticipated to engage in numerous bilateral discussions and interactions on the summit’s periphery.
Minister Jaishankar concluded his discourse on Doordarshan with sanguine confidence, stating, “I’m very confident that, regardless of the levels of representation, each G20 member will approach this meeting with a profound sense of purpose, acknowledging the pivotal juncture that global politics finds itself in today.”
