Jaishankar says G20 Summit to be defined by positions taken, not leaders' attendance

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the issue of some world leaders deciding to skip the upcoming G20 Summit scheduled to take place in New Delhi. Speaking during the Doordarshan Dialogue, titled "G20: The India Way," Jaishankar urged toshift attention away from who will attend and instead concentrating on the positions that countries will take on key global issues during the summit, media reports said.

Jaishankar expressed the view that the ultimate determinant of a country's stance should not be solely based on the level of representation at the event.

"At the end of the day, countries are represented by whoever they have chosen to represent them so the levels of representations do not become the final determinant of the position of a country," Jaishankar said.

"So I would say rather than focus necessarily on which country chose to come at what level, the real issue is what position they take when they come. That's really what it is we will remember about this G20 for the outcomes it produced."

Also Read | West Bank: Israeli forces kill Islamic Jihad gunman, wound Palestinian

Regarding the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit, Jaishankar noted that countries are represented by the individuals they have chosen to send.

He urged observers to focus on the outcomes and results produced by the G20, rather than fixating on the attendance levels of specific leaders.

China's and Russia's participationat G20 Summit

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced that the Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reportedly said, "At the invitation of the government of the Republic of India, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will attend the 18th G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi, India, on September 9 and 10."

However, no explanation was provided for President Xi's absence.

On the Russian front, President Vladimir Putin opted not to attend the summit, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov representing Russia instead.

Also Read | After ‘largest ever’ wildfires, Greece witnesses heavy rains and flooding; one dead

Lavrov is scheduled to participate in multiple sessions and hold bilateral meetings during the event.

Confidence in G20

Jaishankar expressed confidence that all G20 member countries would approach the summit with seriousness, recognising the significance of the meeting amid the current global political landscape.

Watch | Russia-Ukraine war: Ukraine says Russian drone hit NATO member Romania

Jaishankar said, "I'm very confident you know whatever the levels of representation that every G20 member will come to this meeting very seriously in the mode that they have to make their contribution to what is an important inflection point today in global politics."

WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.