Indonesia resists calls for kicking Russia out of G20

JAKARTA, Mar 25, 2022, Jakarta Global. The government said Indonesia would hold the G-20 Summit neutrally and impartially, resisting calls from the West to exclude Russia from the annual meeting of the world’s 20 largest economies over the military special operation in Ukraine, Jakarta Global reported.

“Indonesia served as the G20 Presidency based on rules and procedure like the previous presidency,” Dian Triansyah Djani, special staff to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in a press briefing on Thursday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Dian said Indonesia invited all members of the G20 like what the previous president had done. “It is the obligation of the G20 Presidency to invite all members,” Dian said.

Indonesia, which took over this year’s G20 presidency from Italy, faces a tricky balancing act to ensure that the conflict would not derail concerted efforts needed from the group’s members to recover the global economy post the Covid-19 pandemic as well as to solve pressing long-term problem like the climate change.

Dian said Indonesia was also conducting consultations with all members of the G20 about what needs to be done for economic recovery and priority agendas.

He said Indonesia’s G20 Presidency would focus on efforts to address global economic recovery, which is a priority for the world’s population.

“Because at this time, the world has not come out of the crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Developing countries are still hard to find in their economies. And we are pushing for a global recovery,” said Dian.

Indonesia’s G20 presidency, he said, is expected to run as it should and run well.

“We are conducting consultations with all parties so that the Indonesian G20 Presidency can run as it should,” he said.

Muhaimin Iskandar, a deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, echoed the government’s sentiment. “We have asked and hoped that President Putin to attend the G20 Summit in Bali,” he said after a meeting with the Russian Ambassador for Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobieva on Thursday.

“Today’s atmosphere reminds us to build a new world order that is more peaceful. There is no military tension between countries. There is no tension between the West and the East. We want Russia to be the main driver of the peace; the locomotive of a new world order that is humane, just, democratic, humanitarian, and peaceful,” Muhaimin said.

The officials’ comments came after calls from several politicians in the West to exclude Russia from the G20 forum in the past few days.

US President Joe Biden reiterated the calls late on Thursday as he met with allies in Brussels on Thursday.

“My answer is yes, but it depends on the G20,” Biden said, as he was asked in a televised press briefing about Russia’s removal from G20. He added that if Indonesia or other members do not agree with the idea, Ukraine should be allowed to attend the group’s meetings as an observer.

Ambassador Vorobieva said earlier that Russian President Vladimir Putin had not been confirmed to attend the G-20 Summit. However, he wanted to participate and had been officially invited by the Indonesian government.

“It all depends on many things, and the situation is getting better or worse. So far, he has stated that he wants to attend. Russia has accepted the invitation, and President Putin said he would like to attend,” Vorobieva said.

“Russia strongly supports the priorities of the Indonesian Presidency according to the slogan ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger.’ We appreciate the position of the Indonesian Presidency in the G-20 and the efforts of the Indonesian government to invite Russia,” she said.