Matera, Italy
Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 major economies met face-to-face on Tuesday for the first time in two years, with host Italy aiming to push multilateral cures for global crises like the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic has highlighted the need for an international response to emergencies that transcend national boundaries,” Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told the gathering.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the importance of bringing vaccines to poorer countries that might struggle otherwise to obtain doses. “To bring the pandemic to an end, we must get more vaccines to more places,” he said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday international cooperation is the answer to the challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. “Whether it is vaccines, medicines, PPE or oxygen, international cooperation is the answer to the Covid challenge. Need more, not less,” Jaishankar said while addressing the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Italy’s Matera.
“Institutional multilateralism has been found wanting. Reforms have many forms but vaccine equity will be the immediate test. The real economy needs decentralised globalisation, including in manufacturing, food and health. Resilient supply chains must develop in parallel,” he said.
Jaishankar, Raab discuss
bilateral issues, Covid-19
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and reviewed the progress in bilateral ties and discussed global, regional issues and Covid-19 pandemic.
Jaishankar met Raab on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meetings. “Met UK Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab this morning. Reviewed the progress of our bilateral Road Map. Discussed the state of the world, regional issues, Covid and Climate Action,” Jaishankar tweeted.
Jaishankar arrived in Italy from Greece on the second leg of this 2-nation tour to attend the the G20 ministerial meetings. The G20 summit is scheduled to be held in Italy in October. The G20 member countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, the US and the EU.
