Foreign secretary Harshvardhan Shringla has been appointed Chief Coordinator G20 and will take over after his retirement on April 30. Being host to G20 will be more difficult in the wake of the war between Russia and Ukraine. The USA and its allies are trying to persuade Indonesia, the current host, to put pressure on Russia.
Foreign secretary Harshvardhan Shringla has been appointed Chief Coordinator G20 and will take over after his retirement on April 30.
Shringla, who has been ambassador to the United States of America and high commissioner in Dhaka, will have an important role as the G20 summit is likely to be held in India in the autumn of 2023.
Being the G20 host nation is challenging enough; it is even more difficult in the wake of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Both Russia on one hand and the United States and its allies like Britain, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea on the other, are G20 countries as are NATO countries like Germany, France and Italy. Germany, particularly and other European countries are dependent on Russian energy and may continue to be so till 2024.
The USA and its allies are trying to persuade Indonesia, the current host, to put pressure on Russia. There are fears of Russia and the US and its allies refusing to be part of the same forum this year. And even though the war isn’t going to last till the autumn of 2023, in all probability, there may still be tension. It is therefore going to be an important task for Shringla, an experienced diplomat, to ensure a successful and substantive G20 summit.