India will be the true voice of the Global South in G20, says Russian Sherpa

‘We expect that India’s presidency of G20 will lead to a difference in the G20 approach, which has been dominated by the voice of the Western countries for a long time.’

- MANISH CHAND

Amid increasing global polarisation triggered by the Ukraine crisis, Russia’s Sherpa to G20, Svetlana Lukash was a picture of poise and elegance as she attended the first Sherpa Meeting under India’s G20 presidency in the lake city of Udaipur. She has participated in over 11 G-20 summits. In a luxury hotel on the banks of Lake Pichola, Ms Lukash said that Russia sees India as the voice of the Global South in G20, which “can heal and unite, rather than promote differences and divides”. In this conversation, she also stresses on the role of India’s G20 presidency in accelerating reform of global governance institutions to make the world order more representative of contemporary realities. Excerpts: Q: What are your expectations from India’s first-ever presidency of G20? In what ways can India make a difference?