Rubio Calls for G20 Cooperation as Wars Deepen Divisions and Economic Risks
ATLANTA, October 31 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged G20 foreign ministers to coordinate responses to global crises, as divisions over the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East threatened to prevent agreement on a joint declaration.
Speaking on Friday, Rubio said interconnected conflicts posed risks to energy and food supplies, trade and freedom of navigation. He called on ministers to identify areas of cooperation ahead of the G20 leaders’ summit in Miami from December 14 to 16.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s attendance, at Rubio’s invitation, exposed disagreements among participants. European officials refused to join a group photograph with him, and US officials said the traditional photo was dropped to avoid a confrontation overshadowing the meeting.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said appearing in a photograph with Lavrov was unacceptable. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband directly challenged the Russian minister over attacks that killed civilians in Ukraine.
Lavrov later said Russia’s position on the war remained unchanged and that Moscow would not accept Ukraine as a military threat to its security interests, according to Russian news agencies.
Despite those divisions, two Western officials said ministers broadly agreed on the scale of the economic challenges caused by the Middle East war. Participants were concerned that renewed US strikes on Iran could drive oil prices sharply higher.
The two-day meeting was expected to conclude with a chair’s statement rather than a consensus declaration, Western officials said. Efforts would then focus on reaching agreement among leaders before the December summit.
Saturday’s discussions were scheduled to address supply chains and access to critical minerals used in advanced technologies. Rubio has promoted the Pax Silica Initiative to bring together countries concerned about China’s dominance in rare earths and other critical minerals.
The Quad grouping of the United States, India, Japan and Australia was also due to meet in Atlanta on Saturday alongside the G20 gathering.
Ukraine was not invited to the meeting. Before the talks, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she would press for greater support for Ukraine and progress on accountability measures through the Special Tribunal and Claims Commission.
Source: Reuters.
