With the roaring success of the recent G20 summit in Delhi, there is a lot of satisfaction at one level after holding a very high profile and complex event, said external affairs minister S Jaishankar in an exclusive interview with CNN-News18 on Tuesday. “But more than that, it is also that at a very difficult time…in the global political environment, we were able to actually get 20 most important countries to actually reach a consensus on a crucial set of issues, which is very important," he added in the freewheeling conversation. “We had a sense that eventually we would get there…It was never done till it was done, and it kept coming closer and closer…It was kind of a live-action till the very end."
Last year, Indonesia had the G20 presidency and felt the same kind of pressure that India did this time, said the minister. “To some extent, this is where the PM came in strongly, and by going to Indonesia…Indonesia appreciated it…It motivated Indonesia strongly…It sent a very strong message to others as well…Here are all of us standing by each other, working together," he said.
On Russia-Ukraine war
The Russia-Ukraine conflict started last February, and the Bali G20 summit was held where the countries took a collective position on the issue, reminded Jaishankar. “We also all have to assess whether the purpose of G20 gathering is to reiterate a position, make that immutable concept, from where there is no divergence, or we should update that issue, bring in further developments, and also capture those as part of concerns," he said. “This is an evolving issue…It cannot be that on the one hand, the entire world is concerned about it…But I will not express it in a statement…If it is a truly global happening, then the totality of that should be captured."
On India-Middle East-Europe corridor
New Delhi has fashioned the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) which is being perceived as an answer to China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched in 2013. “In a way, it’s very much an evolution on one hand, a greater awareness in India and Europe about the merits of dealing with each other economically," said Jaishankar. “Also greater awareness of the importance of the region, especially the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, and of the countries themselves."
This is a big deal, the minister said. The question of how to create a seamless economic logistical flow is one of the big issues in world history, he added.
On Green Climate Fund
UK PM Rishi Sunak pledged a record $2 billion to the Green Climate Fund at the G20 summit in Delhi, emphasising the urgency of climate action.
“It’s not just climate action," Jaishankar said to CNN-News18. “We are hoping for the G20 and after that we are hoping that more resources are available for green, for development, and for green development."
On Global South
India is using the G20 presidency and its growing economic clout to take up global issues and is turning into a credible voice to bridge the North-South divide. But countries of the South have their own concerns, reminded Jaishankar.
“The deep concerns of the countries of the South would be buried under the pressure of East-West friction…So yes, I would say if you ask the bulk of the countries of the South, most of them would say we are deeply anxious about this conflict, and we don’t want to see this continue, and we want to find a way to end it, because it’s not good for parties involved and it’s not good for any of us," said Jaishankar. “For us, I would say the key issue in the summit was that you take a full global perspective…You do not prioritise one set of problems at the expense of another set of problems…You recognise the totality of the challenges and especially focus on what can be a great source of anxiety for the Global South."
On China
China was very much in the conversation and negotiation at the G20 summit, the minister said.
“At the end of the day, there were 20, and every one of them played their part in that," he said. “We did not allow differences…We had the wisdom and foresight to come together on the issues on which we would agree."
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