President Biden Wants Ukraine To Be Invited If Russia Is Allowed, The Indonesian Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Will Investigate

G20 summit in Rome, Italy in 2021. (Wikimedia Commons/www.g20.org)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will study developments related to the planned presence of Russia and President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Bali at the end of October.

US President Joe Biden said Ukraine should be allowed to attend the G20 summit in Bali, if Indonesia as the G20 Presidency and other countries do not agree to the elimination of Russia.

Related to this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia will explore the developments that occur.

"This development will be investigated first," said the Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Teuku Faizasyah, when confirmed by VOI, Friday, March 25.

Previously, Indonesia would still invite Russia to attend the G20 Summit which will be held at the end of October, amid heavy criticism of the invasion of Ukraine.

The Special Staff for Strengthening Priority Programs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the G20 Co-Sherpa, Dian Triansyah Djani, said that Indonesia would still invite Russia.

"As a presidency and in accordance with the previous presidency, Indonesia invites all members," he said in a virtual press statement last Thursday.

He explained that Indonesia has on various occasions led international organizations and forums in the world, always adhering to the applicable rules and procedures.

"One of the duties of the presidency is to consult with all members. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, the Minister of Finance and others hold consultations with all parties on a bilateral basis," he explained.

"Our position is clear, we will carry out our duties. We will not comment on other people's comments," he said.

To note, the G20 member countries include, the US, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, China, Canada, the European Union, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and the UK.

As reported earlier, President Biden thought Russia should be excluded from the Group of Twenty (G20) main economic organization, a topic raised during his meeting with world leaders in Brussels on Thursday morning.

"My answer is yes, depending on the G20," Biden said, when asked if Russia should be excluded from the group.

President Biden also said that if countries like Indonesia and others do not agree with the removal of Russia, then in his view, Ukraine should be allowed to attend the meeting.

The United States and its Western allies are assessing whether Russia should remain in the Group of Twenty major economies after the invasion of Ukraine, sources involved in the discussions said.

However, any move to exclude Russia may be vetoed by other countries in the group, raising the prospect of some countries skipping the G20 meeting, the sources said.

"There are discussions about whether it is appropriate for Russia to be part of the G20. If Russia remains a member, it will be a less useful organization," said a senior G7 source.