Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to be held in Bali, Indonesia for two days from the 7th of this month.
It is the first time Lavrov has appeared on the stage of multilateral diplomacy since the invasion of Ukraine in February of this year.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that at this meeting on the 5th, “All foreign ministers of G20 member countries, including Russian Minister Lavrov, will attend face-to-face.”
Tensions between Russia and the G20 members condemning the invasion of Ukraine seem inevitable.
It is known that the Indonesian side, the chair country, decided to skip the usual photo shoot and replace lunch with a lunch box instead of an official luncheon.
It is interpreted as the intention to minimize contact and friction between Minister Lavrov and ministers of other countries.
In addition, it was reported that the chairman’s statement would be replaced without a joint statement (communique), as consensus between China and Russia and other member states seemed to be virtually impossible.
The G7 countries are expected to engage in a battle over the Ukraine crisis and the resulting food and energy crisis instead of leaving to protest when the Russian minister remarks.
Foreign Minister Park Jin will not hold bilateral talks with Lavrov, but it is likely that the two will have a chance to meet during the meeting.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “There will be a reception, a luncheon, and a session (meeting) together, so I think there will be opportunities to meet (with Minister Lavrov) several times.” I have been expressing it, but on the other hand, there are issues that need to be cooperated with Russia, such as companies, Korean citizens, and the North Korean nuclear program.
Following the meeting of the foreign ministers and finance ministers this month, the G20 will lead to a summit meeting in November this year.
Ten countries including Spain, Singapore, the Netherlands, UAE, Cambodia and Senegal invited by G20 member countries and Indonesia, the chair country, and Ukraine, who received a special invitation, will participate.
This year’s conference will discuss the topics of strengthening multilateralism and food and energy security under the theme of ‘Recovery Together, a Stronger Recovery’.
The G20 is a meeting related to economic cooperation and does not discuss security issues such as North Korea.
[사진 출처 : 연합뉴스]
