UPDATES OF THE G20 MEETING IN INDONESIA
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has opened the G20 summit in Bali with a call for the world to “end the war” and bridge “wide differences” amid rifts over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has fuelled geopolitical tension and caused a global surge in food and energy prices.
Telling delegates that it was an honour for Indonesia to host the event, Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, on Tuesday acknowledged the mood. “I understand we need huge efforts to be able to sit together in this room,” he said before closed-door discussions began. The Indonesian president said the world could not afford to fall into another cold war and said G20 members must work to “end the war”, in an apparent reference to the war in Ukraine.
“Being responsible means creating not zero-sum situations, being responsible here also means that we must end the war. If the war does not end, it will be difficult for the world to move forward,” he told leaders ahead of the summit’s opening session. The G20 groups together 19 countries and the European Union representing the world’s 20 largest economies, including Russia. It accounts for more than 80 percent of the world’s gross domestic product, and 60 percent of its population
Indonesia has sought to be a bridge-builder and the summit is the first since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine on February 24. Jokowi has visited Kyiv and Moscow, extending an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin despite calls within the G20 that Russia be barred. Putin declined and is being represented in Bali by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Uncertainty over communique
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, addressed the summit by video link on Tuesday. On the eve of the summit opening, he pointedly referred to the “G19 summit” and in his speech later called for peace.
On the 9th of this month of November, it was reported by sky news that; Ukraine wants G20 help on Russian deportations of children
Kyiv says thousands of its children have been taken illegally to Russia and that deportations should be investigUkraine wants this month’s G20 summit to address the plight of thousands of its children it says have been deported to Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff has said. “The Russian Federation continues to commit its crimes in connection with Ukrainian children,” Zelenskyy’s office quoted Andriy Yermak as saying on Tuesday at a meeting he chaired of a group of officials responsible for child protection. “The removal of children continues.”ated as a war crime.
The United States envoy to the United Nations said in early September more than 1,800 children had been transferred to Russia from Moscow-controlled areas of Ukraine in July alone. Ukraine wants such deportations investigated as a war crime. The statement from Zelenskyy’s office said Ukraine’s National Information Bureau showed 10,500 children had been deported or forcibly displaced. Ukraine’s minister responsible for reintegrating Russian-occupied territories noted at the meeting that only 96 children had been returned.
Last month, Kyiv said it was working to bring back 32 children it said had been forcibly removed from their parents and illegally adopted in Russia. Yermak was quoted as saying Ukraine could count on UN help but he restated Ukraine’s lack of confidence in assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “Unfortunately, due to the very passive position of international organisations, in particular the ICRC, today we are unable to determine the exact number, how many, and where our children are,” he said.
Yermak said discussions about the return of the children should start at the Group of 20 summit, which starts in Indonesia on November 15. Zelenskyy is expected to attend the meeting remotely, although Ukraine is not a member. It was reported this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin might not attend despite Russia being part of the grouping.
“We really need to draw the world’s attention to what is happening, because this is an absolute genocide of Ukrainians, Ukrainian children, our country,” Yermak said. Russia has previously said it is offering humanitarian aid to those wishing to flee Ukraine voluntarily, with the Russian ambassador to the UN saying the kidnapping allegations were “a new milestone in the disinformation campaign by Western nations”.
GAB ELISON FOR UNDAUNTED- ABC AMBA NEWS
