Indonesian President Widodo asks world leaders to follow UN charter as G20 Summit begins in Bali

Indonesian President Joko Widodo asked world leaders to follow the UN charter and called for an end to "the war”, a reference to the raging Russia-Ukraine conflict in his remarks at the G20 Summit that began here on Tuesday.

He said all leaders have a responsibility to the people of the world and being responsible meant following the UN charter “consistently”.

"Being responsible means we must end the war," he said in the English portion of his brief opening remarks.

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He did not name Russia or Ukraine in English but a part of his address to the Group of 20 leaders was in Bahasa Indonesia.

It will be difficult to move forward if the war is not ended, Widodo said, adding that the world must not slip into another Cold War.

Leaders from the world’s major economies are set to discuss the challenges triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic over the next two days, topped more recently by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Also Read | Must avoid another Cold War: Indonesia leader tells at G20 summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed at the summit venue by President Widodo, ahead of the formal opening of the summit.

"Recover Together, Recover Stronger. Indonesian President @jokowi welcomes PM @narendramodi for the G20 Bali Summit. Detailed deliberations on contemporary global challenges including food & energy security and health are on the @g20org Summit agenda today," Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.

After the meeting in Indonesia, India will take over the Group of 20 presidency for one year.

'Recover Together, Recover Stronger' was the theme picked by Indonesia when it took charge last year. But the Russia-Ukraine war that began in February now threatens food and fuel shortages.

The leaders will hold three working sessions - on food and energy security, digital transformations, and health. Modi is expected to participate in all three.

On the sidelines of the summit, Modi has bilateral meetings scheduled for Wednesday with Indonesian President Widodo, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, French President Emmanuel Macron and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The list declared so far by Delhi does not mention Chinese President Xi Jinping, with whom Modi has not met face-to-face since the Galwan Valley clash between the troops from both sides in 2020.

There was no mention either of a separate meeting with Britain’s new prime minister Rishi Sunak. But there is a possibility of more bilateral meetings being squeezed into the schedule.

The G20 comprises 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the USA and the European Union (EU).