Opening The G20 Ministerial Meeting, Foreign Minister Retno: Multilateralism Can Only Be Realized If There Is Trust Between Us

Opening of the G20 Foreign Minister's Meeting in Bali (Source: Between Photos/pools/Sigid Kurniawan)

JAKARTA - Indonesian Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, opened the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, with two main agendas to be discussed, namely multilateralism, and food and energy security.

Appreciating the presence of foreign ministers from various countries, including China, the United States to Russia, Foreign Minister Retno said this was support for the G20 Indonesia Presidency.

"This also reflects your commitment to the G20, to make the G20 relevant and important", said Foreign Minister Retno in a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Friday, July 8.

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Retno said that the world, which had not yet recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, now had to face the effects of the war crisis in Ukraine which had a global impact on food, energy, and fiscal space.

"Global challenges require global solutions. But frankly, we can't deny it's getting harder and harder for the world to sit down together. This is making people lose faith in multilateralism and its capacity to respond effectively to global challenges", she continued.

Foreign Minister Retno continued, that even though multilateralism is not perfect, the situation will be worse if we live without multilateralism, while unilateralism will become a strong and all-consuming norm.

"Of course, this is not what we want. We all have a responsibility to safeguard multilateralism, to make it happen. Multilateralism is the only mechanism by which all countries, regardless of their size and wealth stand on an equal footing and are treated equally", she explained.

"Multilateralism can only be realized if there is trust between us", said Foreign Minister Retno.

On the occasion, Foreign Minister Retno also alluded to the crisis in Ukraine, saying it was a shared responsibility to end the war more quickly, resolving differences on the negotiating table instead of on the battlefield.