Ex-Indian Envoy Hails Russia as Reliable Partner for Global South

Russia has been successfully engaging with the developing countries of Global South as a reliable partner, an ex-Indian envoy has told Sputnik India.

Ambassador Anil Trigunayat, a former Indian envoy to Libya, Jordan and Malta, has said that the developing countries "appreciate" Russia's security concerns vis-a-vis the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

However, he added, that the developing world also wants the Ukraine conflict to come to an end because of the spillover effects on global food, fertilizer and energy supply chains, which have affected the developing states more than the rich countries.

The former Indian diplomat cautioned that a "prolonged war" wasn't conducive to the "reputation" of either of the warring parties.

Addressing the plenary session of the eight Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin squarely blamed Ukrainian regime for continuing hostilities and refusing to sit on the negotiating table.

Putin called for a repeal of ban on negotiations with Russia imposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Vasan stressed that Russia's strengths in maintaining a stable food, fertilizer and energy global supply chains was very useful for the developing nations.

"Russia, in turn, requires the support of Global South in forging a new global narrative," remarked Vasan.

Historically, Moscow has maintained relatively closer ties with the developing nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America throughout its history, including during the Cold War, when it backed the anti-colonial struggles of the Global South states.

As highlighted by Putin at the Africa-Russia Summit in July, Russia exported 11.5 million tonnes of grain to Africa in 2022 and nearly 10 million tonnes in the first six months of 2023 inspite of various curbs imposed by western nations to keep Russian food and fertilizer exports from reaching the global markets.

The experts' comments just days after the G20 Summit hosted under the Indian presidency in New Delhi over weekend managed to come out with a joint communique, or the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration, in spite of geopolitical differences between Moscow, Beijing and the G7 club of nations on the issue of Ukraine.

G-20 Summit a Great Success for All Countries: Experts

Both Trigunayat and Vasan agreed that the G20 Summit was a great success for all the member states.

"It is indeed a win for Indian and G20 Diplomacy which has risen to the occasion by issuing the New Delhi Declaration. It should not be seen in a zero-sum perspective," remarked Trigunayat.

He noted that New Delhi “successfully flagged a large number of global concerns and challenges" facing the Global South and even managed a consensus on the inclusion of African Union (AU) as a permanent G20 member.

"India believes that G20 was not a forum for resolving geopolitical issues but all countries should make efforts to cease hostilities as they impinge greatly on the innocent developing and underdeveloped countries," the Ambassador said, citing bits from the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration.

For his part, Vasan described G20 a "great success" for not only the grouping's relevance, but also for the Global South.

"With the inclusion of AU as a permanent member, the heft of G20 has gone up," the think-tanker reckoned.

Addressing a press briefing in New Delhi after the Summit on Sunday, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov described the G20 Summit as an "unqualified success".

"The G20 is undergoing an internal reform. One aspect of this reform is that the member countries representing the Global South have become more proactive, with India leading the way. They have been clear and persistent in ensuring that their interests are included in the agreements negotiated by the G20. As a result, they were included in the Declaration," stated Lavrov.

India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant has described the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration as a "document of Global South".

He has described New Delhi the spokesperson of the developing nations for putting the concerns of the Global South- food, fertilizer and energy security, debt distress, financing for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and multilateral reforms- at the "core" of the G20 agenda.

G-20 Summit in New Delhi

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10 September 2023, 14:56