NUSA DUA – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday (Nov 15) that Western countries had tried to “politicise” a joint declaration at the Group of 20 (G20) summit, accusing them pushing to include a line condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on behalf of all participating countries.
A draft declaration by leaders of the G20, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, said “most” members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine, highlighting Russia’s strong opposition to any language seen to criticise its actions.
“Yes, our Western colleagues tried in every way to make that declaration politicised and tried to push through language that implied condemning the actions of the Russian Federation on behalf of the entire G20, which includes us,” Lavrov said.
“But let’s do this in a fair way and let’s make it clear that, on this topic, we have differences,” Lavrov said.
“Yes, there is a war going on in Ukraine, a hybrid war that the West has unleashed and been preparing for years,” Lavrov said.
The war, which Russia describes as a “special military operation”, has overshadowed the summit despite calls from host Indonesia for unity and to focus on action to resolve global economic problems such as inflation, and food and energy security.
Lavrov, who heads Russia’s delegation at the summit after the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin was unable to attend, said work on the declaration was nearing completion and that it would be approved after Wednesday’s meeting.
“The declaration in question covers all the areas that have been discussed, including food and energy, healthcare, and digitalisation,” he said.
This article was first published in Asia One . All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
