By Vakkas Dogantekin
ANKARA (AA & Agencies): Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will both attend the G20 summit in Indonesia, according to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who will host this year’s gathering.
“Xi Jinping will come. President Putin has also told me he will come,” Widodo said in an interview with US-based news outlet Bloomberg.
The US President Joe Biden had earlier called for the G20 to remove Russia’s membership and withdraw Mr Putin’s invitation to the summit over the Ukraine war.
However, Indonesia has positioned itself as a peacemaker between Russia and Ukraine.
“The rivalry of the big countries is indeed worrying. What we want is for this region is to be stable, peaceful, so that we can build economic growth,” Widodo told Bloomberg News.
Earlier this week, the Indonesian President said both Russia and Ukraine had accepted his country as a “bridge of peace”.
There are speculations that US President Joe Biden may attend the summit and meet Xi Jinping during the Summit.
Tensions between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in June during NATO summit that the Western countries should not boycott G20 summit in Indonesia in November if Vladimir Putin attends, as this would hand a “propaganda opportunity to others”.
“I would be absolutely amazed if Putin goes in person. He’s a pariah figure,” Johnson told reporters.
“I don’t think he will go. The question is do we as Western countries vacate our seats at the G20 and leave the whole argument to China, to Russia?” he said.
“I think if you vacate something like the G20, you risk just handing the propaganda opportunity to others.”
Indonesia has invited Ukrainian Zelenskiy to attend the Bali summit.
The 17th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will take place in November on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.
The G20 is a strategic multilateral platform connecting the world’s major developed and emerging economies which represents more than 80% of world GDP, 75% of international trade and 60% of the world population.
The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. Spain is also invited as a permanent guest.
[Photo: Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, who will host the G20 summit in November in his country, seen delivering his annual state of the nation address Jakarta, Indonesia on August 16, 2022. Photojournalist :Anton Raharjo/AA]
