G20 finance leaders divided on language concerning Gaza, Ukraine
Photo: G20 finance ministers have different opinions on war in Ukraine and other conflicts (flickr.com)
The G20 finance ministers are still debating how to describe the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip in a joint communique, reports Reuters.
"The tussle, which comes just hours before the scheduled conclusion of the G20 talks, highlights deep divides among the group's members over escalating geopolitical tensions that chair Brazil is struggling to work around," the paper writes.
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said there was reason to be confident that G20 finance ministers would agree on a communique citing geopolitical risks to economic growth.
But G20 finance ministers and central bank governors have yet to agree on some parts of the statement.
Wording of war in Ukraine
According to the article, the G7 group of rich Western nations and Japan are backing the idea of referring to the war "on" Ukraine, while Russia wants to describe it as the war "in" Ukraine.
The G7 countries are also backing language describing the war in Gaza as a "humanitarian crisis" with no mention of Israel. Japan has told its G20 colleagues that it condemns the terrorist act by Hamas and is deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Brazilian officials hosting the event tried to focus talks on economic cooperation to tackle issues such as climate change and poverty, but countries including Germany insisted on a joint statement that mentioned the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.
Position of Germany
Lindner insisted that it is impossible to conduct business as usual because of the ongoing war against Ukraine, Hamas "terror" and a humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
"All of this cannot leave us cold, all of this must be discussed here," he told reporters, adding there was reason to be confident there could be a communique.
He also said that a project has been prepared that reflects the request for discussion of geopolitical issues.
G20 meeting
It was previously reported that the foreign ministers of the G20 countries met on Wednesday, February 21, in Rio de Janeiro. They discussed global tensions and ways to improve multilateral organizations in preparation for the annual leaders' summit chaired by Brazil.
Almost immediately at the G20 meeting in Brazil, Western foreign ministers condemned Russia for invading Ukraine.
