Russia found itself today “isolated” from the rest of the G-20 member countries at a meeting of the organization’s foreign ministers on the island of Bali, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said, quoted by France Press.
The host country, Indonesia, invited Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, despite reservations from the West, who condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and blamed Moscow for the global food and energy crisis caused by the conflict.
“Russia is so isolated that Lavrov left the conference at noon after speaking,” Colonna said in an interview with AFP.
“We expected a meeting where there would be different dividing lines, but in fact Russia turned out to be isolated and its responsibility emphasized, even by some countries that it might have thought could have a more nuanced position and support it.” , added the minister.
Not a single country from the G-20, even among those from the BRICS, which are closer to Moscow, “supported the Russian position”, specified Colonna.
“Even China began its speech by noting that the UN Charter should be at the center of international relations. India said the same,” added the minister, who believed that the West had managed to create a united front against Russia.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, speaking at the first meeting of G20 diplomats in Bali, stressed the need for unity and for countries to speak with one voice to make it clear that Russia must pay a high price for its invasion in Ukraine, a senior Japanese official was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Russia’s accusations that the current economic crisis is due to sanctions are absolutely false, said Yukiko Okano, a senior official at Japan’s foreign ministry.
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