G20 Summit 2023: India will continue to be a key global voice despite Xi, Putin skipping conclave, says Congress

“Xi of course would not like to see a strong India and wanted to send a message by not attending the G20 Summit but Russia has been an old friend. So, Putin skipping the G20 Summit is a bit strange when he attended the recent BRICS Summit in South Africa,” says Congress leader Salman Soz. Reports ETV Bharat's Amit Agnihotri

New Delhi: India would continue to be an important voice at the international fora despite Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin choosing to skip the G20 Summit, senior Congress leader Salman Soz said on Saturday.

“India has been and will continue to be an important voice at the international fora despite the Chinese and the Russian President choosing to skip the G20 Summit. While Xi’s move is understandable, given China’s festering border row with India, Putin should explain his conduct as India stood by him through difficult times,” Salman Soz told ETV Bharat.

“Xi of course would not like to see a strong India and wanted to send a message by not attending the G20 Summit but Russia has been an old friend. India refrained from condemning Putin for invading Ukraine at the UNSC (United Nations Security Council), bailed Russia out by buying their oil after Moscow faced international sanctions and continues to be its major arms importer. So, Putin skipping the G20 Summit was a bit strange when he attended the recent BRICS Summit in South Africa. The Indian diplomats have their work cut out there,” he said.

According to the Congress leader, in a way, the move of both Xi and Putin is a message to their common rival, the United States and is also an indicator of the growing convergence between Beijing and Moscow after the Ukraine war.

“Both China and Russia have their own reasons to oppose the US but they should have kept in mind that G20 is basically an economic forum and focuses on developmental issues. Both China and Russia are responsible world powers and members of the G20. They should have appreciated what India is doing,” said Soz.

The Congress leader further said that India deserves a permanent seat at the reformed UNSC in line with the changed global order and is playing its role effectively towards building a consensus on various developmental issues at the G20 Summit.

“India has been pressing for a reformed UNSC and the inclusion of some developing countries as permanent members. This is a just demand as the world has changed over the past decades and must reflect reality. China, a permanent UNSC member, may have reservations against India’s inclusion as it sees India as a threat but the other developed nations see reasoning in India’s demand. The global order itself is decades old and must change now to be in sync with the changing times. If it does not reform, the effectiveness of the existing global system would come under question,” said Soz.

“India has tried hard to build consensus over various issues within the G20. There are a lot of disagreements within the G20. India is working hard to deal with the sticky issues and work out a joint declaration at the end of the summit. I am sure a joint declaration would be possible despite both Xi and Putin choosing to skip the summit. It may not be possible to build consensus on all the issues but certainly it is possible to bring nations together on key development issues like functioning of global financial institutions like the IMF and dealing with health and education issues, including fighting climate change,” he signed off.