G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting: EAM Jaishankar calls for finding common ground on global issues

Opening the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called for finding common ground on global issues. EAM Jaishankar highlighted that the world is confronting multiple crises, including the impact of the Covid pandemic, concerns of fragile supply chains, the knock-on effects of ongoing conflicts, anxiety of debt crises, and the disruption of climate events. “In considering these issues, we may not all always be of one mind. In fact, there are some matters of sharp differences of opinions and views. Yet, we must find common ground and provide direction, because that is what the world expects of us,” he said. EAM Jaishankar stressed that the G20 must be sensitive to the priorities and economic concerns of all partners, especially those more vulnerable. “We must ensure demand driven and sustainable development cooperation based on country ownership and transparency. Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity are essential guiding principles for such cooperation,” he opined. ‘Democratize global decision making’ In his remarks, EAM Jaishankar also highlighted the systemic challenges that the world confronts and said that the future of multilateralism depends very much on the ability to strengthen it in a changing world. He pointed out that the current global architecture is in its eighth decade. "The number of members of the United Nations has quadrupled in this period. It neither reflects today’s politics, economics, demographics or aspirations," he argued. Pointing out that the reforms needed had not materialized, he said, "The longer we put it off, the more the credibility of multilateralism stands eroded. Global decision making must be democratized if it has to have a future". He stated that the G20’s agenda for the meeting's discussions includes the challenges of food, fertilizers, and fuel security, which are crucial to the global economy and must be treated as such. He added that G20 must strive for more reliable and resilient supply chains to reduce the risks of being dependent on limited geographies. EAM Jaishankar pointed out that all member countries have an obligation to contribute to international growth and prosperity through sustainable partnerships and goodwill initiatives. He added that India has undertaken development projects in 78 countries and has actively encouraged exchanges and capability building.