G20 foreign ministers' meet could not agree on joint communique

The G20 foreign ministers' meeting on Thursday was unable to come out with a joint communique due to sharp differences over the Ukraine conflict despite persistent efforts by host India to build consensus. The meeting, held under India's presidency, adopted a Chair's Summary and Outcome document. There were issues relating to the Ukraine conflict, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at a media briefing. Several diplomats said there were deep divisions between the US-led West and the Russia-China combine over the Ukraine conflict. Jaishankar said there were "polarised views" on the issue. The external affairs minister said the Outcome Document and the Chair's Summary reflected the G20's resolve to deal with pressing global challenges. There was a large number of issues where there was agreement, he said. Jaishankar also said the G20 foreign ministers' meeting unequivocally condemned terrorism.

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Earlier, addressing the opening segment of G20 Foreign Ministers through a video message, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India's theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ for its G20 Presidency, signals the need for unity of purpose and unity of action. Pm Modi observed that Post World War global governance failed in both its mandates of preventing future wars and fostering international cooperation on issues of common interests.  He further added that the tragic consequences of this failure are being faced mostly by all the developing countries and the world is at risk of rescinding Sustainable Development after years of progress. Modi remarked that India's G20 Presidency has tried to give a voice to the Global South and also pointed out that no group can claim global leadership without listening to those most affected by its decisions. Mr Modi said that the G20 has a critical role to play in finding the right balance between growth and efficiency on one hand and resilience on the other. He suggested that this balance can be achieved more easily by working together.