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Inviting Putin is no joke
Indonesia should first and foremost invite and make sure all the G20 leaders turn up for the summit.
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Let’s talk: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Russia Summit in Singapore in 2018. (Reuters/Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin)
Expecting all leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) to attend the summit in Bali this November looks impossible, at least for now, although President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has accommodated the demands of western countries by inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the event. As indicated by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, President Joe Biden still rejects Russian President Vladimir Putin’s presence at the summit.
It is a bit confusing that Psaki said Washington understood the invitation was issued “before the invasion”, as if the White House is providing a “loophole” for Putin to come to Bali.
Indonesia has strongly condemned Russia’s invasion of an independent nation, Ukraine. The war has killed thousands of innocent people and forced millions of others to flee their homes. The devastating impacts of the invasion have gone far beyond the worst possible scenarios imagined.
While his ministers, especially Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, are preoccupied with the substantial subjects of the G20 summit and its preparatory meetings, President Jokowi now focuses on an issue that he never expected before Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Inviting Ukraine as a special guest to the Bali summit is much easier to do because as the host, Jokowi has the privilege to add tto the list of invitees. But Indonesia should first and foremost invite and make sure all G20 leaders turn up for the summit. The decision to expel or suspend any member should be a collective decision.
The G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.
Had President Jokowi bowed to the mounting pressure from some G20 leaders who do not want Putin’s presence, Indonesia would have set a very bad precedent. Next time, big countries such as the US could easily force a host to bar a member’s attendance that Washington disliked. Apart from the US, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have also voiced the same demand.
Indonesia cannot be dictated by other countries as they wish. Inviting Putin is a definite decision, and can only be revoked when it is based on an agreement by all. The rule is a rule.
Jokowi has called Putin to extend his invitation. The Kremlin’s spokesman however said he still could not confirm the Russian president’s attendance.
Frankly speaking, if the decision to skip the Bali summit comes from Russia, the problem is solved. It is understandable if Putin forfeits the G20 summit knowing the hostile reception he may face. But Indonesia cannot let it happen.
Jokowi is scheduled to attend the US-ASEAN summit this week to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the cooperation between the two sides. It will be a good opportunity for Jokowi to discuss the issue with Biden on the sideline of the May 12-13 event.
Indonesian diplomacy, as the popular local slang puts it, is “bukan kaleng kaleng”, or not a joke. Jokowi will try to take all possible actions to ensure the success of the Bali summit, although he also knows it cannot be “at all costs”.
