PM Modi calls for consensus at G20 foreign ministers' meeting

As the G20 foreign ministers met under the shadow of fractured EastWest relations over the Ukraine conflict Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for building consensus on pressing global challenges and not allowing differences on geopolitical tensions to affect overall cooperation in the groupingIn his video message at the meeting Modi also invoked Mahatma Gandhi and Buddha to urge the delegates to draw inspiration from Indias civilisational ethos and focus not on what divides us but on what unites usThe foreign ministers from the worlds largest industrialised and developing nations held crucial deliberations on key global challenges that took place in the backdrop of the increasingly bitter rift between the USled West and the RussiaChina combine over the Ukraine conflictIn their remarks German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and European Unions High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell criticised Russia for its invasion of Ukraine while Chinas Qin Gang referred to the 12point Chinese peace plan to resolve the conflictIt is learnt that the Indian side has been trying very hard to arrive at a joint communique but several diplomats from the West said the possibility of an agreed text was unlikely due to the fractured EastWest relations over the war in UkraineAlso Read India creating modern digital infrastructure ensuring benefits of digital revolution reach all PM ModiIn his address Prime Minister Modi said the world looks upon the G20 to ease the challenges of growth development economic resilience disaster resilience financial stability transnational crime corruption terrorism and food and energy securityIn all these areas the G20 has capacity to build consensus and deliver concrete results We should not allow issues that we cannot resolve together to come in the way of those we can Modi said without making any reference to the Ukraine conflict or any other contentious issuesAs you meet in the land of Gandhi and the Buddha I pray that you will draw inspiration from Indias civilisational ethos to focus not on what divides us but on what unites us Modi saidUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Chinas Qin Gang the UKs Cleverly and European Unions High Representative for Foreign Affairs are among those attending the meeting chaired by External Affairs Minister S JaishankarYou are meeting at a time of deep global divisions As Foreign Ministers it is but natural that your discussions are affected by the geopolitical tensions of the day We all have our positions and our perspectives on how these tensions should be resolved Modi saidHowever as the leading economies of the world we also have a responsibility towards those who are not in this room he saidIn a tweet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said I went to the G20 today with two imperatives First to ensure that the G20 with India at the helm advances our shared goals and second to demonstrate how the US together with our partners is acting to meet the needs of the world We succeeded at bothIn his remarks Prime Minister Modi said multilateralism is in crisis todayThe experience of the last few years financial crisis climate change pandemic terrorism and wars clearly shows that global governance has failed in both its mandates he saidWe must also admit that the tragic consequences of this failure are being faced most of all by the developing countries After years of progress we are at risk today of moving back on the Sustainable Development Goals he saidModi said many developing countries are struggling with unsustainable debt while trying to ensure food and energy security for their peopleThey are also the ones most affected by global warming caused by richer countries This is why Indias G20 Presidency has tried to give a voice to the Global South he saidModi said no group can claim global leadership without listening to those most affected by its decisionsThe prime minister also referred to the coronavirus pandemic and natural disastersWe have seen global supply chains break down during times of stress We have seen stable economies suddenly overwhelmed by debt and financial crisis These experiences clearly show the need for resilience in our societies in our economies in our healthcare systems and in our infrastructure Modi saidModi said the G20 has a critical role to play in finding the right balance between growth and efficiency on one hand and resilience on the otherWe can reach this balance more easily by working together That is why your meeting is important I have full trust in your collective wisdom and ability I am sure that todays meeting will be ambitious inclusive actionoriented and will rise above differences he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom 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