The G-20 summit begins in the capital of India from Saturday. American President Joe Biden along with prominent leaders of the western world are present on this stage, this is a moment of glory for India.
G7 to G20 — already a paradigm of expansion, this time India is emphasizing on the ‘inclusive’ world stage.
What the Indian government is saying, how much of it is acceptable or credible, is a different question.
But it would be inappropriate to start the discussion without addressing a primary issue at this juncture.
In this meeting, two important figures of geopolitics – Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin – are absent.
Putin has been absent from many important meetings in the past to avoid the cannons of Western leaders after the Ukraine invasion, and this time too.
On the other hand, it is assumed that China’s supreme leader did not come to New Delhi in a planned way to continue the border dispute with India.
As a result, the manner in which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi planned to use the presidency of the G20 to advertise his leadership in international diplomacy, remained elusive.
If the two main powers of the world are removed, then the greatness of this world power group will also decrease to a large extent.
Notably, none of the ministerial-level meetings held during India’s leadership-phase of the summit have resulted in a consensus among G20 members on the Russia-Ukraine issue.
Incidentally, Indonesian President Joko Widodo was able to get a joint statement from the group at the G20 meeting in Bali last November.
But India’s situation is further complicated by strategic ties between Russia and China.
In such a situation, the Western countries are in favor of tougher measures against Russia and China.
America is increasing the pressure on China especially due to trade, technology and geopolitical disputes.
As a result, the Biden administration has decided not to supply their advanced chips, which China is believed to be using in its own military.
Besides, China has also been accused of indirectly supporting the war by providing arms to Russia.
On the one hand, just as it needs America’s help to prevent the expansion of China’s dominance in Asia, India also needs to maintain good relations with Russia for its military interests.
India’s position will become more difficult in dealing with the two sides in the geopolitical arena.
As a result, no matter how much External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar tries to downplay the issue of the absence of the two supreme leaders of the countries , the success of the conference under the supervision of India continues to be a concern.
There are also questions about how much consensus will be developed not only on war, but also on global issues such as the environment.
On the other hand, the Modi government is well aware that if the meeting is not successful, its impact is going to be felt not only outside but also in internal politics.
