Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi is participating at the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting this week as Indonesia is set to chair the group in 2022, when COVID-19 grievances are expected to continue impeding developing countries’ growth.

The minister is in Italy for the first face-to-face G20 foreign ministers meeting in about two years as COVID-19, which began spreading globally last year, continues to pose huge challenges to all governments. The last in-person meeting was held in 2019.

Retno arrived over the weekend in Rome, where she met with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Sunday and discussed Indonesia's plan for next year’s presidency.

“We talked a lot about the G20 presidency. This year, Italy holds the G20 presidency, and next year it is Indonesia's turn to be the G20 president. And we agreed to commit to supporting each other's presidencies,” Retno said in a statement. “We also agreed to discuss trade cooperation, investment, vaccines and a number of regional and international issues.”

She also met later that day with Canada’s Foreign Minister Marc Garneau, who expressed support for Indonesia's presidency at the G20 in 2022.

“Today I am going from Rome to Bari, a city in southern Italy to have a meeting with several foreign ministers of the G20 members and a number of other countries,” Retno said on Monday.

Retno and National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa are also expected to participate at a joint ministerial meeting between G20 foreign ministers and development ministers on food security, which will take place on Tuesday in the historic city of Matera.

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