New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with “greater understanding and openness” focusing on a range of challenges. The talks took place on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) in the Indonesian city of Bali.
Jaishankar tweeted, “Continued with @SecBlinken on global and regional issues this time in Bali #G20FMM. Our relationship today allows us to approach many challenges with greater understanding and openness.”
continued conversation with @SecBlinken on global and regional issues, this time in Bali # g20fmm,
Our relationships today allow us to approach many challenges with greater understanding and openness. pic.twitter.com/kiktiWYBO0— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) 8 July 2022
It is believed that the Ukraine crisis was discussed in the talks. Jaishankar also held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Bali.
India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has maintained that the crisis should be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
In the past few months, India has increased imports of subsidized crude oil from Russia despite growing unease over it by several Western powers.
India’s crude oil imports from Russia have increased more than 50 times since April and now account for 10 per cent of all crude purchased from abroad.
The G-20 is a leading group that brings together the world’s major economies. Its members account for more than 80 percent of global GDP, 75 percent of global trade and 60 percent of the planet’s population.
The G20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the United States. European Union. Spain has also been invited as a permanent guest.
Each year, the Presidency invites guest countries, who take part in full G20 exercises. Several international and regional organizations also participate, giving the forum an even wider representation.