Indonesia Says This Year's G20 Is The Most Challenging, Preparation Going Smoothly

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar JAKARTA, Oct 14 (Bernama) -- Indonesia, which is the current holder of the Group of 20 (G20) Presidency, is ready to do whatever it can to ensure the success of the (G20) Leaders’ Summit, said Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. As the host, Indonesia plays a role in managing the current extraordinary global dynamics and ensuring that the cooperation forum of the world's 20 major economies remains on track to achieve its objectives. However, she admitted that "this year's G20 presidency is probably the most difficult presidency, given that the world is facing multiple crises." In the weekly press conference, Retno said the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are still not over, geopolitical tensions are increasing, and there is food, energy and financial crisis. "In a normal situation, negotiations at the G20 are never easy, let alone in the current situation... So you can imagine the level of difficulty. "The stakes are too high and if the G20 fails, it will affect the fate and well-being of the people of the world, especially in developing countries," said Retno. Although differences and competition in relations between countries are difficult to avoid, G20 countries need to have "wisdom" and responsibility to develop wholesome and beneficial cooperation, she said. On the confirmation of attendance by G20 leaders, she said that his party has not received any negative responses from the member countries and the invited countries so far. "Their representation in Indonesia is now actively making preparations to welcome the presence of their (respective) leader," said Retno. Previously, it was reported that several countries wanted Russia to be excluded from the summit following the country's conflict with Ukraine. In other developments, Retno said the preparations ahead of the summit in Bali on Nov 15-16 are going smoothly – with 187 official meetings or 95 per cent having been held so far. The G20 was established in 1999 to address global economic issues including international financial stability, climate change mitigation and sustainable development. The member countries are South Africa, United States, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Mexico, France, Russia, Turkiye, and the European Union. -- BERNAMA