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G20’s criticism of Russia reflects the rise of new Asian power: India



Hong Kong
CNN

When world leaders at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, offered a Joint statement condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine, a familiar sentence stands out in the 1,186-page document.

“Today’s era is not war,” it said, echoing what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a news conference. meeting face to face in September.

The media and officials in the country of 1.3 billion people were quick to proclaim the inclusion as a sign that the world’s largest democracy had played an important role in bridging the gap between the two countries. the difference between a Russia increasingly isolated from the United States and its allies.

“How India Unified G20 on Prime Minister Modi’s Peace Ideas,” running a title in the Times of India, the country’s largest English-language newspaper. Indian Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra told reporters on Wednesday: “The Prime Minister’s message that this is not an era of war… resonated very deeply in all the delegations and helped narrow the gap. distance between different parties”.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo hold hands during the handover ceremony at the G20 leaders summit, in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, November 16, 2022.

The statement comes as Indonesian President Joko Widodo hands over the G20 presidency to Mr. Modi, who will host the next leaders’ summit in the Indian capital New Delhi in September 2023 – approx. six months before he is expected to go to the polls in a general election and run for the country’s top seat for a third time.

Analysts say that as New Delhi deftly balances ties with Russia and the West, Modi is emerging as a sought-after leader by all parties, gaining support at home. while consolidating India as an international power broker.

“The domestic narrative suggests that the G20 summit is being used as a big banner in the election campaign,” said Sushant Singh, a senior fellow at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Studies. Modi’s nomination to show he is a great global statesman. “And the Indian leadership now sees them as a powerful nation sitting at the high table.”

By some accounts, India’s presence in the G20 has been overshadowed by the highly anticipated meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, and the scramble to investigate. murder of two Polish citizens after what Warsaw said was a “Russian-made missile” landed in a village near the NATO member’s border with Ukraine.

Global headlines detailed how Biden and Xi met for three hours on Monday, in an effort to prevent their rivalry from turning into public conflict. And on Wednesday, leaders from the G7 and NATO convened an emergency meeting in Bali to discuss the explosion in Poland.

On the other hand, Mr. Modi held a series of discussions with a number of world leaders, including newly appointed British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, ranging from food security and the environment, to health and economic recovery – largely avoiding outright criticism of Putin’s aggressive behavior, while continuing to separate his country from Russia.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a bilateral meeting on November 16, 2022 in Nusa Dua, Indonesia.

While India has a “modest agenda” for the G20 around energy, climate and economic instability as a result of the war, Western leaders “are listening to India as a key stakeholder in the region, because India is a country Happymon Jacob, associate professor of diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, said.

New Delhi has had close ties with Moscow since the Cold War and India is still heavily dependent on the Kremlin for military equipment – an important link in the context of India’s border tensions. common in the Himalayas with an increasingly aggressive China.

At the same time, New Delhi is increasingly drawing closer to the West as its leaders try to counter Beijing’s rise, putting India in a strategically advantageous position.

Harsh V. Pant, professor of international relations at King’s College London, said: “One of the ways in which India has an impact at the G20 is that it seems to be one of the few countries that can collect involve all parties. “It’s a role where India can connect between multiple villains.”

Since the start of the war, India has repeatedly called for an end to the violence in Ukraine, without outright condemning the Russian invasion.

But as Putin’s belligerence grows, killing thousands and plunging the global economy into chaos, analysts say India’s limits are being tested.

Observers point to Modi’s stronger language with Putin in recent months as done in context on rising food, fuel and fertilizer prices, and the difficulties they are creating for other countries. And while this year’s G20 is viewed through the lens of war, India may bring its own agenda to the table next year.

Jacob from JNU said: “The Indian takeover of the presidency comes at a time when the world is heavily focused on renewable energy, rising prices and inflation. “And there is a feeling that India is seen as an important country that can meet the needs of the region in South Asia and beyond.”

US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Chinese leader Xi Jinping attend the G20 leaders summit in Bali, Indonesia, on November 15th.

Soaring global prices for some energy sources as a result of the war are hampering consumers, who are already grappling with rising food prices and inflation.

Speaking at the conclusion of the G20 summit on Wednesday, Modi said India was in power at a time when the world was “grabbing with geopolitical tensions, economic recession, food and energy prices as well as the long-term adverse effects of the pandemic”. .”

“I want to ensure that India’s G20 presidency will be inclusive, ambitious, assertive and action-oriented,” he said in his speech.

India’s position in next year’s summit “is very much the voice of the developing world and the Southern Hemisphere,” said Pant, from King’s College London.

“Modi’s idea is to project India as a country that can respond to today’s challenges by echoing the concerns some of the poorest countries have about the contemporary global order.”

As India prepares to assume the G20 presidency, all eyes are on Modi as he also begins his campaigning for India’s 2024 national elections.

Domestically, the Hindu nationalist populist politics of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) polarized the nation.

While Modi remains hugely popular in a country where about 80% of the population is Hindu, his government has been repeatedly criticized for its suppression of free speech and discriminatory policies against members of the public. minority group.

Amid that criticism, Modi’s political allies are keen to boost his international credibility, portraying him as a key figure in the global order.

Singh, from the Center for Policy Studies, said: “(BJP) sees Modi’s G20 meetings as a political message that he is strengthening India’s image abroad and strengthening ties. solid partner.

This week, India and the UK announced they are launching a much-anticipated “British-Indian Young Professionals Programme”, which will allow 3,000 educated Indian nationals aged 18 to 30 to live and work work in the UK for a maximum period of time. two years.

At the same time, Modi’s Twitter feed was filled with a series of smiling photos and videos of the leader with his Western counterparts.

“His domestic image remains strong,” Singh said, adding it remains to be seen whether Modi can maintain his carefully balanced act as the war progresses.

“But I think his international standing comes from his domestic standing. And if that’s still going strong, then international audiences have to respect him.”

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