Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov leaves Bali conference before end
\n JAKARTA
\nTop diplomats from the world\u2019s leading rich and developing nations failed to find common ground on how to deal with Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine and its global impact as they met in Bali on Friday.
\nThe conflict in Ukraine, one of the world\u2019s breadbaskets, has disrupted global supply chains and stoked an energy crisis, as international sanctions slapped on Moscow \u2014 a major oil and gas producer \u2014 have led to rising inflation in many countries.
\nThe Group of 20 foreign ministers\u2019 meeting took place as Indonesia, which this year holds the rotating presidency, has been facing pressure to exclude Russia from the G-20 summit, which is scheduled to take place in Bali in November.
\nThe group includes Western countries that have accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine, but also nations like China, India and South Africa that have remained neutral.
\nAmid deep divisions within the bloc, Friday\u2019s gathering also saw the first meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken since the start of the Russian invasion in February.
\nIndonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who hosted the meeting, told reporters there was a \u201cstrong push from many participants for an immediate end to the war and peaceful resolution of conflict through diplomacy and negotiations.\u201d
\n\u201cSome members expressed condemnation on the act of invasion; the war has caused tremendous suffering to the civilian population,\u201d she said, adding that participants had agreed that \u201cthere is an urgent need to strengthen multilateralism.\u201d
\n\u201cMultilateralism remains the best way to resolve global challenges, cooperation in pandemic response including ensuring equitable access to vaccines is one of multilateralism\u2019s success story.\u201d
\nMarsudi\u2019s final press statement and her opening session remarks \u2014 in which she called for settling differences \u201cat the negotiating table, not at the battlefield\u201d \u2014 were the only part of the conference to which access was granted to the media.
\nLavrov, at whom reporters shouted, \u201cWhen will you stop the war?\u201d as he posed for a photo with Marsudi on his arrival at the meeting\u2019s venue, the Hilton Bali Resort in Nusa Dua, left the conference before it concluded, Russian Embassy spokesperson Denis Tetiushin told Arab News.
\nHe said there was no particular reason for Lavrov\u2019s early departure, as \u201che usually doesn\u2019t join the last agenda.\u201d
\nLavrov also reportedly walked out several times during the proceedings, including when Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed the conference via a video link.
\n\u201cI think that after everything Russia has done in the past half a year, it has no place at any international fora,\u201d Kuleba was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
\n\u201cStopping Moscow\u2019s aggressive colonialism is the global priority No. 1 if we want to preserve stability, avert a deepening food and energy crisis, and protect multilateralism from those who try to destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov leaves Bali conference before end JAKARTA Top diplomats from the world\u2019s leading rich and developing nations failed to find common ground on how to deal with Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine and its global impact as they met in Bali on Friday. The conflict in Ukraine, one of the world\u2019s breadbaskets, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270583,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-270565","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n