ATLANTA: Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) countries concluded two days of discussions in Atlanta on Saturday without reaching consensus on several major global security issues, with divisions over Russia’s war in Ukraine emerging as a key obstacle.
The meeting ended without a joint communique, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instead releasing a chair’s statement summarising the discussions and identifying areas of shared concern.
The statement listed priorities including energy and food security, freedom of navigation, secure supply chains and access to critical minerals, but did not announce any specific agreements.
Rubio acknowledged that the participating countries remained far from finding universally accepted solutions to several international challenges. However, he said some members were working together, particularly on supply chains and critical minerals.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Rubio held discussions with the foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan. The final session also focused on freedom of navigation in key maritime routes, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Red, Black and South China seas.
The meeting was also marked by disagreements over Russia's participation. Rubio cancelled the traditional group photograph after European diplomats objected to the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the absence of consensus was unsurprising given that countries involved in ongoing conflicts were represented at the table.
With inputs from AP