Interview With Retno Marsudi on Ukraine, Russia G20 Summit Attendance

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi in an exclusive interview with Tempo on October 21 guaranteed positive responses for each and every G20 member and special invites ahead of the G20 Summit in Bali. She included Russia and Ukraine, which are currently engaged in a devastating war. 

Marsudi asserted the challenges that are faced by both Ukrainian President  Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

"So far no one has voiced a very negative response. Negative in the sense of sending a note declaring their absence. It's not there yet. Everything is positive as of now, some have given diplomatic notes confirming their attendance, but there are also those who, without diplomatic note confirmation, we know will attend,” said the Minister in a special interview on October 21 published in the latest Tempo Magazine. 

In the case of Zelensky, Retno noted that the Ukrainian President had never attended an international event in person since the beginning of the war. Therefore, is still waiting for the president’s confirmation on whether to attend the G20 summit virtually or in person.

Bali will set the stage for the G20 summit on 15 and 16 November. The focus of the Indonesian presidency this year will be the post-pandemic global economic recovery, with priorities in the fields of health, digital transformation, and energy transition.

However, the summit is overshadowed by the global food and energy crises that are triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war. In a number of ministerial-level meetings, Western countries led by the United States strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the food and energy crisis. Retno admitted that she is aware that this issue would appear at the G20 Summit.

Regarding the insistence of Western countries to expel Russia from the summit, Minister Retno said the forum will always be based on mutual agreement instead of the presidency's exclusive decision. 

"Throughout the history of the G20, all decisions were made by consensus," Retno Marsudi explained.

DANIEL AHMAD

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