Hypnotizing sounds of traditional Balinese Tembang music filled the auditorium as G20 leaders shook hands at the handover ceremony of Indonesia’s Group of Twenty summit on Wednesday.
It is now the turn of Narendra Modi’s government in Delhi to determine the direction that the bloc will take during the next 12 months.
The G20 doesn’t have a centralized secretariat or headquarters, and while its current affairs are managed by the presiding nation’s officials, there are also safeguards that prevent the group from losing continuity.
“I am sure: under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, G20 will keep moving forward,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said during the handover ceremony. “As a friend of India, and as a part of Troika next year, Indonesia is ready to support the success of India’s G20 presidency.”
The Troika mentioned by President Jokowi consists of three nations - the previous G20 host, the current president and the one which will host the organization’s events the following year. With Italy leaving the steering committee, Indonesia will now be joined by Brazil and India for a year to share summit preparation experiences.
© Sputnik / Denis Bolotsky
Some experts on G20’s inner workings say that this past year’s Troika suffered from divisions on geopolitical issues, such as members' opinions on Russia’s role in the Ukrainian conflict. While NATO and EU member Italy joined anti-Russian sanctions, the conflict was perceived in a different manner by both India and Indonesia, which did not cut economic ties with Moscow. Similar differences could have been observed concerning the issue of Taiwan.
Besides these issues, there are few fundamental differences between G20 members, according to John Kirton, co-director and founder of the G20 Research Group:
“When Italy hosted the G20 Summit in Rome last year, countering COVID-19 was a major priority, and Indonesia has now put health first,” Kirton told Sputnik. “India will continue this next year, but now with a focus on digital health, applying Indonesia’s second priority to its first, and the digitalization of the economy to spur economic growth.”
When asked about the possibilities of the Ukrainian conflict affecting India’s goals and performance during the year of its presidency, Kirton added that by the time of the next G20 Summit in September 2023, the conflict in Ukraine is "likely to be over," and India will have to focus on energy and food insecurity, as well as slowing economic growth:
“[India] has already signalled that it will set its own path – cutting consumption to control climate change and emphasizing that international migration is good for recipient states,” Kirton said.
The 2022 Bali Summit was held on November 15-16. Organizers managed to set up contacts between the US and Chinese, and between the Indian and Chinese leaders, which were perceived by many with cautious optimism. Initially, Indonesia also wanted to sit both sides of the Ukrainian conflict at the negotiating table, but, this proved impossible, especially given some Ukraine-related “theatrics” that surprised the attendees.
In one example, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denounced that a 20-minute-long pre-recorded video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was shown during the plenary session, while G20 leaders present in Bali were only given only three minutes each for their speeches.
Lavrov, who was appointed head of Russia’s delegation, held several bilaterals on the sidelines of the summit, meeting with his Chinese colleague Wang Yi, as well as with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Indonesia organized more than 180 G20 preparatory events during its presidency, which was focused on post-pandemic recovery and revolved around three main topics: strengthening the global health architecture, digital transformation and energy transition. The Ukrainian conflict led to some changes in Indonesia’s G20 agenda, with President Joko Widodo offering his help in resolving the situation.
The Group of Twenty, which consists of 19 member states and the EU, was created in 1999 to discuss financial stability, climate and sustainable development.