Ahead Of The G20 Summit In Bali: Awaiting The Presence Of Vladimir Putin

JAKARTA – The holding of the G20 Summit in Bali on November 15-16 is only a matter of days. A number of member countries are still wondering whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend?

Nothing has been confirmed yet. The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, only said that 18 countries had proposed a bilateral meeting with Jokowi on the sidelines of the G20 summit later. However, Retno was reluctant to reveal who the head of state was.

Likewise, President Jokowi only said, "There are already 17-18 heads of state who will attend. The other three heads of state are still waiting for confirmation.”

"It means that in a very difficult situation like this, it is an honor for him to come," said Jokowi after attending the exhibition in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta on November 2, 2022.

In the Valdai Discussion Club on October 27, Putin did not confirm his presence at the G20 summit considering the political situation and tensions with Western countries due to his move to invade Ukraine.

He really appreciates Indonesia's efforts to remain firm in inviting him despite pressure from other parties.

"Russia will definitely be represented at a high level. Maybe I will go too. For now, I will think about it," said Putin in response to a question from Military and Defense Security Observer Connie Rahakundini Bakrie who was present to represent Indonesia in the discussion.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has given a firm answer. He would not attend the G20 summit if Putin was also present.

"If the leaders of the Russian Federation take part in it, Ukraine will not participate," Zelensky said at a press conference with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Kyiv.

The G20 Summit will be attended by delegates from 20 member countries, namely Australia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan, Turkey, Canada, South Africa, France, Britain, Germany, China, India, the United States, Italy, Argentina, Russia, Brazil, European Union, Mexico, and Indonesia as hosts.

Indonesia also invited other non-member countries such as Singapore, Cambodia, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Senegal, Finland, Suriname, and Fiji.

Plus 10 VVIP invitations consisting of heads of state, international organizations, and world figures, namely the President of Zambia, the President of Angola, the President of South Sudan, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Queen Maxima (Netherlands), FIFA President, IOC President, Atlantic Council, Elon Musk, and the World Economic Forum.

"Of course, we want all G20 member countries and special invitations to be able to attend all, including the presidents," said Secretary of the Ministry of State Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia, Setya Utama in a virtual press conference, Monday (7/11).

In accordance with the G20 tagline 'Recover Together, Recover Stronger' which means all countries must work together towards a joint recovery in conditions full of uncertainty such as today, uncontrolled inflation, debt crisis, rising cost of living, and geopolitical tensions.

Thus, an inclusive and sustainable joint effort is needed in finding solutions for global recovery. To achieve this target, as the presidency of the G20 Summit, Indonesia will focus on three priority sectors which are considered to be the key to a strong and sustainable recovery.

"The three sectors are strengthening the global health architecture, digital transformation, and energy transition," said government spokesman for the Indonesian G20 Presidency, Maudy Ayunda at the Presidential Secretariat.

G20 Summit Schedule

Currently, said Setya Utama, preparations for the G20 Summit in Bali have reached 80 percent. The target, all completed on November 10 later.

Based on the schedule, delegations and guests will attend around November 13-14. Then, they will be greeted with traditional dances and escorted to the hotel by electric car.

"This also shows that Indonesia is committed to shifting to the use of new and renewable energy," said Setya.

Despite providing an electric car for the head of the delegation, Setya said the Indonesian government would not prohibit countries from bringing their own bulletproof operational vehicles that comply with their respective security standards. This is in accordance with the principle of reciprocal relations between countries.

So far, five countries have stated that they will bring their own armored vehicles to Bali.

Then, on November 15, the opening of the G20 Summit at The Apurva Kempinski Bali. The event continued to working session 1 with the theme food and energy security.

“Then it was filled with IKN metaverse performances, lunch, then working session II global health architecture. In the evening, a welcoming dinner was held at Garuda Wisnu Kencana with President Jokowi," said Satya again.

According to Satya, there will be a spectacular show there, "What it looks like, we are still keeping it a secret, there will be an element of surprise later."

The next day, a side event for mangrove planting at Tahura Mangrove in the morning. Then, the third working session was about digital transformation. Then proceed to bilateral meetings with a number of countries and the handover of the G20 Presidency from Indonesia to India.

The G20 presidency will certainly have a direct impact on the Indonesian economy by increasing the country's foreign exchange. Creating a multiplier effect for the regional economy through the tourism, hospitality, transportation, and creative economy sectors, local MSMEs, is also a momentum to show that Indonesia is open for business.

“All eyes will see Bali, will see the leaders. We hope that the Bali G20 Summit can provide tangible results for the recovery of the world. Let's together continue to celebrate and support Indonesia's G20 presidency as the nation's young generation," said Maudy Ayunda.

A brief History

Launching the G20 Sherpa Indonesia, the formation of the G20 is inseparable from the disappointment of the international community towards the G7's failure to find solutions to global economic problems faced at that time.

The view that emerged at that time was that it was important for middle-income countries and those with systemic economic influence to be involved in negotiations to find solutions to global economic problems.

The G20 is an informal grouping of 19 countries and the European Union, as well as representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB). Also, it is the world's main economic forum that has a strategic position because it collectively represents about 65 percent of the world's population, 79 percent of global trade, and at least 85 percent of the world's economy.

On November 14-15 2008, US President George W. Bush invited the leaders of the G20 countries to the first G20 Summit to coordinate the global response to the impact of the financial crisis that was currently taking place in the United States.

"On that occasion, the leaders of the G20 countries agreed to hold a follow-up meeting. On 1-2 April 2009, London hosted the second G20 Summit (Presidency) under the coordination of the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown,” wrote the Indonesian G20 Sherpa.

Furthermore, the third G20 Summit was held in Pittsburg on 24-25 September 2009, under the coordination of the President of the United States, Barrack Obama. The next fourth G20 Summit was held in Toronto on 26 – 27 June 2010 under the coordination of the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper. In the same year, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak presided over the Seoul Summit on November 11-12 2010.

The next successive summits were held in Cannes, France (2011); Los Cabos, Mexico (2012); St. Petersburg, Russia (2013); Brisbane, Australia (2014); Antalya, Turkey (2015); Hangzhou, China (2016); Hamburg, Germany (2017); Buenos Aires, Argentina (2018); and Osaka, Japan (2019).

To prepare for the Summit, the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors hold regular meetings several times a year. The G20 does not have a permanent secretariat. Hosts are determined by consensus at the Summit based on a regional rotation system and change annually.