Editorial: Testing time for India

The G20 presidency places a great responsibility on India’s shoulders, not only to advocate its own agenda but also to chart a path that is beneficial to the populations of fellow developing countries

Hyderabad: India’s diplomatic balancing act on the Ukraine war will be put to test as it hosts the meeting of the foreign ministers of G20 member nations in New Delhi. As the war, now in its second year, shows no signs of abating, the gulf has widened between the global powers even as India is trying to delicately navigate the tensions while protecting national interests. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, and their Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov are attending the meeting and seeking support for their positions from non-aligned members of the group. The onus of achieving a consensus on the contentious Ukraine conflict is largely on the host — External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The developments following the Russian invasion of its neighbour, particularly the economic impact, will hog the limelight at the gathering. India has not outrightly condemned Russia at any of the United Nations resolutions in the past, though last year’s G20 summit in Bali issued a joint declaration that echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice to Russian President Vladimir Putin that “today’s era must not be that of war”. The meeting is being held against the backdrop of soaring food and energy prices and runaway inflation as a result of the war. It also comes at a time when multilateralism as a global governance mechanism is facing a crisis, be it over the issue of climate change, pandemic or terrorism. Holding the presidency of the G20, India hopes to find enough common ground to deliver a joint statement at the end of the summit.

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Earlier, the first meeting of G20 finance ministers, held in Bengaluru last month, failed to agree on a statement. Both Russia and China declined to sign the joint statement, which criticised Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. India then issued a “chair’s summary and outcome document” in which it summed up the two days of talks and acknowledged disagreements. The G20 grouping includes the wealthy G7 nations as well as Russia, China, India, Brazil, Australia and Saudi Arabia, among other nations, representing about 85% of the world’s economy and two-thirds of its population. The presidency places a great responsibility on India’s shoulders, not only to advocate its own agenda but also to chart a path that is beneficial to the populations of fellow developing countries that are currently torn between the machinations of global powers, economic headwinds and adverse impacts of the climate crisis.

India is positioned uniquely in the world as a country that understood the priorities of the developed countries and appreciated the challenges and ambitions of the developing world, allowing it to act as a bridge to meet expectations. India’s decades-long championing of the causes of the global South and poorer nations allowed it to become a leader of developing countries.