G20,Communique Need Not Divert Us; Action Happening
Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s finance minister, said on Saturday that there is agreement to go forward on the many topics under the country’s G20 leadership and that communication need not divert us.
The finance minister was conversing with N K Singh, chairman of the 15th finance commission and co-convenor of the expert group on reforms for strengthening multilateral development banks (MDBs), during the India-Japan Forum about the crucial problems during India’s G20 chairmanship.
The FM declared, “There is a great understanding that the agenda we are advancing is important to all of us. There is agreement to move ahead.
On the prevailing circumstances of Russia-Ukraine war or US versus China issues, Sithraman said that these have to be addressed individually as well as collectively. “Unless there is stability and level of normalcy, it is going to be a continuing challenge for groups whether it is G20 or G7 to take forward even the basic agenda on which all of us agree,” she said.
The third finance minister and central bank governors meeting held in Gandhinagar on 17-18 July did not have a communique but a chair summary due to lack of consensus on the language around Russia-Ukraine war.
Sitharaman said that there is a global understanding on issues and countries don’t think there is hopelessness that unless the issues like Russia-Ukraine are resolved, we cannot go forward with critical issues such as climate change, digital public infrastructure such as the direct benefit transfer. “These issues are live on the agenda, but despite difficulties, there is a movement forward,” the FM said.
(With input source)
