Some “weighty” agreements have been reached during the Group of Twenty meeting in Rio de Janeiro, the Russian foreign minister has said
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (left) and Brazilian President Lula da Silva at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 18, 2024. © Sputnik / Russian Foreign Ministry Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Tuesday that the outcome of the G20 summit hosted this week by Brazil was “very positive” and that some significant agreements have been reached. The two-day G20 leaders’ summit took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from November 18-19. Lavrov represented Russia at the summit, taking the place of President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to a press conference on Tuesday, Russia’s top diplomat said that some “weighty agreements” had been reached during the high-level meetings. He highlighted that the participants of the summit have supported the creation of a new coordinating structure to fight global hunger and poverty. The goal of the initiative is to accelerate progress towards the complete eradication of hunger by 2030, as required by the Sustainable Development Goals, he said. Lavrov said that Russia has “joined the mechanism” and has already introduced a number of programs to help developing countries and ensure global food security. The participants of the G20 summit have been briefed on Moscow’s contribution to food and energy security as a “reliable and leading global supplier.”
Lavrov also presented the Greater Eurasian Partnership initiative, which was initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin and designed as a vehicle for connecting Europe and Asia and guaranteeing stability and security. Talking about the G20 summit’s final declaration, Lavrov said that the West had attempted to push the “only Ukraine agenda” but this “failed” as other countries insisted that other conflicts should be included too. He said that Russia ultimately agreed with the G20’s final declaration clause on Ukraine. “There is also a paragraph on Ukraine, which we agreed with, because the main thing in it is a call for an honest and reasonable conversation about peace on realistic grounds,” Lavrov said. Among other issues, the 22-page G20 declaration calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, advocates for taxing the super-rich, and covers topics such as artificial intelligence and gender equality.
