Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo pleaded with world leaders on Tuesday (Nov 15) to respect international laws and avert a “cold war”, as Southeast Asia’s biggest economy kicked off one of the trickiest Group of 20 (G20) summits since the economic forum’s inception more than two decades ago.
In front of dozens of leaders gathered on the Indonesian island of Bali, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, Widodo said it took “extraordinary efforts” to get everyone together in the same room.
“Today the eyes of the world are fixed upon our meeting. Are we going to achieve success, or will we add more to our failures?
“For myself, the G20 has to succeed, and it cannot fail,” said Widodo, who is popularly known as Jokowi.
Calling for an end to “the war”, without mentioning Ukraine or Russia by name, Widodo admonished the assembled leaders to be “responsible” and refrain from creating “zero-sum situations”.
“We should not divide the world into parts,” he said. “We must not let the world fall into another cold war.”
Hosting a successful G20 could cement Widodo’s legacy among Indonesians and boost his international standing before his term ends in 2024, analysts say – but the road to the summit’s opening on Tuesday was anything but smooth.
Widodo went to Russia on a “peace mission” in June and had sought President Vladimir Putin’s attendance at this week’s summit, refusing to withdraw the invitation – despite pressure from the US and other members of the Group of Seven (G7) club of wealthy nations – as he sought to maintain a neutral position for his country, which holds the G20’s rotating presidency.
Ultimately, Putin decided to skip the summit, sending Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov instead.
Indonesia was also pressured to include Ukraine at the G20 and President Volodymyr Zelensky did give a video address to a closed-door meeting, in which he reportedly called for peace, an end to the “Russian destructive war” and no more “nuclear blackmail”.
“I am convinced now is the time when the Russian destructive war must and can be stopped,” he said, according to a copy of the speech obtained by Agence France-Presse. “It will save thousands of lives.”
Widodo, in his opening remarks, said “success will only be achieved if all of us, without exception, are committed, work hard, put aside our differences to produce something concrete, something that is beneficial to the world”.
The Indonesian president purposefully avoided mentioning Ukraine or Russia, as Jakarta’s stance since the war began has been to maintain friendly relations with both countries by not apportioning blame.
However, he did underline other “extraordinary challenges” the world is facing, including the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, sharpening geopolitical rivalries, and global food and energy crises.
“Don’t underestimate the problem of fertiliser,” Widodo said.
“If we don’t immediately take steps to ensure sufficient availability of fertiliser at an affordable price, then 2023 will be a more dismal year.
“The current high food prices could worsen by becoming a food supply crisis. Fertiliser scarcity will cause crop failure in various parts of the world.”
Some 48 developing countries will face “very serious conditions” if food insecurity isn’t addressed, Widodo said, concluding his remarks with the hope that G20 members “do not just talk, but take concrete steps” to achieve inclusive economic recovery.
A draft communique circulating on Tuesday stated that “most members” of the G20 “strongly condemned the war in Ukraine”, adding “it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy”.
The document, which must still be approved by G20 leaders before it is officially issued at the summit’s close on Wednesday, echoes some of Widodo’s opening remarks, stating “today’s era must not be of war”.
War was “constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks”, the draft was cited as saying by the Financial Times newspaper.
“The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. The peaceful resolution of conflicts, efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue, are vital,” it added.
The draft notes there were “other views” and that the “G20 is not the forum to resolve security issues”, but members acknowledged that security issues could “have significant consequences for the global economy”.
This article was first published in Asia One . All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
