Jakarta, 12 April 2022 (TDI): The Foreign Minister of Canada, Melanie Joly, expressed to the Indonesian leadership that Russia does not belong at the G20 summit that Indonesia is hosting later this year.
Indonesia will host the 17th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit at the end of year 2022 in Bali. Currently, the group is led by Indonesia since it assumed Presidency in December 2021.
Russia is a member of the Group of 20. Regarding the matter of its expulsion from the group, Indonesia has adopted a “neutral” stance.
The Canadian Foreign Minister acknowledged that Indonesia “is in a difficult position because clearly, the question of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hijacked their agenda for the G20”.
“So, we want to make sure that we find a constructive solution for Indonesia,” She said. Joly met Indonesian President, Joko Widodo and Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi on Monday.
In addition, the Foreign Minister said that she will not share a table with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Moreover, she remarked, “The G20 is about economic growth.
And we want to do everything in our power to make sure that there is absolutely no economic growth for Russia”.
Canadian Measures against Russia
Recently, Canada targeted Russia’s defense industry with its latest round of sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The new measures impose restrictions on 33 entities in the Russian defense sector.
Canada is a part of allied countries that are supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia. It has taken a full part in US-led sanctions. Other members of the G20, importantly the United States, have also pushed for the expulsion of Russia from the upcoming summit.
Joe Biden has said that if Russian expulsion can’t be achieved, Ukraine should be allowed to participate in the summit. However, countries such as Brazil, Turkey, and Indonesia are not so keen to exclude Russia due to its importance.
The G20
The G20 is a multilateral forum for consultations on the global economy. The member countries address issues including international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development. It was founded in 1999 and has held an annual meeting each year since 2008.
