Jakarta – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) officially opened the G20 summit meeting today, Tuesday (15/11/2022), at the Apurva Kempinski, Nusa Dua, Bali. In his welcome speech, President Jokowi invited all delegates to put aside differences that seemed very deep and very wide, so that this high-level meeting could produce something real and have a good impact on the world situation. which is currently facing a multidimensional crisis. crisis.

“As the G20 Presidency, Indonesia has done everything possible to bridge very deep and very wide differences. However, success will only be achieved if all of us, without exception, commit, work hard, put aside our differences to produce something concrete, something that benefits the world.

In the fragment of President Jokowi’s speech above, Indonesia is trying to become a bridge for creating constructive dialogue at this high-level meeting.

On the other hand, countries and representatives of international organizations have a positive view of the agenda of the G20 summit, which is accompanied by the views and interests expressed.

US President Joe Biden responded positively to the G20 summit meeting, where he was able to meet Chinese President Xi Jin Ping to ease tensions between the two countries over the issue of Taiwan and the Ukraine-Russia war. On the other hand, the Chinese government wants tensions between the two countries to ease. Finally, both countries agreed that the use of nuclear weapons in conflicts should be avoided and not an option. Although the two countries remain politically different in their vision of the Taiwan question.

European Council President Charles Michel sees the agenda for the G20 summit meeting as an impetus to pressure Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine. Michel is of the opinion that Russia launched an attack against an independent and sovereign country. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had an impact on the global food and energy crisis. Therefore, pressuring Russia to end the invasion is the first step to improving the global economic conditions that are currently in crisis.

Besides the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war and Sino-Taiwanese tensions, the G20 summit agenda also raised calls to reduce global warming to a level of 1.5 degrees Celsius. This was conveyed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in his speech. He called on all the leaders present to put geopolitical egos aside amid a world experiencing a climate crisis due to global warming.

António Guterres argued that through a new approach in a collaborative pact between developed and developing countries to commit to reducing the impact of global warming. Guterres added that the G20 countries themselves are also responsible for 80% of global emissions, with China and the United States being the countries that produce the greatest carbon emissions.

Guterres hopes that the acceleration of the transition to the use of environmentally friendly renewable energy must be accelerated. He also hopes that developed countries can support financing for developing countries that develop technologies using renewable energy.

Delegates who attended the G20 summit considered the importance of this meeting’s agenda as an effort to engage in dialogue and seek solutions to strategic issues currently facing the world.

On the other hand, the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from the G20 summit was very understandable for G20 members. However, the two countries continued to send their respective delegations, in particular Russia, which was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. President Zelensky himself appeared virtually at the meeting calling for an immediate end to the Russian invasion, in a speech in Ukrainian.

The atmosphere of rejection of the Russian invasion on the agenda of the G20 summit was felt through the message conveyed by the majority of the delegates who wanted the Russian invasion to cease immediately, which forced the Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to avoid direct contact with leaders who have so far criticized Russia’s actions.

Indonesia’s neutral and active foreign policy has at least had a positive impact as a trusted party to host the G20 summit, providing space for every delegation to dialogue and participate in the meeting, including the Russian delegation.

The agenda of the G20 summit meeting is indeed not a forum that can trigger technical policies to solve the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the Sino-Taiwanese conflict, nor a solution to the problem of the climate crisis. The concrete action that is expected from this meeting is that the results of the constructive discussions of this forum may encourage the G20 countries to decide on policies in accordance with the agreements produced at this meeting, through bilateral agreements, international cooperation led by each member.

As President of the 20th Presidency, Indonesia plays an important role in bringing together the different points of view of member countries. Differences over conflicts between countries, the climate crisis and the debts of poor countries will certainly be the subject of fierce debate at the G20 summit. However, the spirit of putting differences aside and seeking solutions acceptable to all parties is key for Indonesia to exert its influence in the meeting.

At the same time, linked to the issue of the scarcity of fertilizers which is one of the factors causing bad harvests, which is one of the priorities of the Indonesian government, it is an entry point for Indonesia plays a more strategic role in global issues, particularly related to the issue of the food crisis.

The agenda for the G20 summit meeting was opened today. Indonesia’s role as Chairman of the G20 Presidency will certainly increase globally if the outcome of this meeting leads to agreements accepted by all parties present with their respective interests and expectations. A neutral and active foreign policy, in addition to being a good host are the initial capital to create reunion agreements, which can be accepted by all parties.

Ultimately, we hope that after the G20 summit meeting, Indonesia’s role in international politics will be more active and influential, especially on issues of food crisis, economy and global warming. It is important for us so that the agenda of the G20 summit meeting is successfully carried out and generates constructive agreements for the world, thus encouraging Indonesia’s active role in international politics with greater influence.

Author: Denny Lihiang, Secretary General of Axis 98