Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has arrived at the venue of the 48th G7 Summit in Schloss Elmau, Germany on Monday afternoon (June 27) local time (UTC+1) to attend the meeting in the capacity of a partner country and as the G20 President.
The G7 is an informal forum bringing together leaders of the world’s leading industrial nations from the European Union and countries such as Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Jokowi was welcomed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
During the official welcoming session by the chancellor, Jokowi was present with the leaders of G7 partner countries, including Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Senegalese President Macky Sall, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Furthermore, during the photo session, he posed for a picture accompanied by the German chancellor and United States President Joe Biden.
All heads of government attended two sessions of the G7 meeting.
President Jokowi invited G7 countries to contribute to capitalizing on investment opportunities in the clean energy sector in Indonesia.
President Jokowi conveyed the statement while attending the G7 Summit working lunch session based on the topics of climate change, energy, and health in Elmau, Germany, Monday (June 27).
“(This is) especially (regarding) investment opportunities in the clean energy sector in Indonesia, including the development of an electric car and lithium battery ecosystem,” the president stated.
According to President Jokowi, Indonesia’s potential, as a contributor to clean energy, whether in the bowels of the earth, on land, or at sea, is very large. Indonesia needs large investments and low-carbon technologies to support a fast and effective transition to clean energy.
“Indonesia needs at least US$25-30 billion for energy transition in the next eight years. We can optimize this transition as a motor of economic growth, open up business opportunities, and create new jobs,” President Jokowi stated.
Furthermore, the president noted that in Indonesia as well as in other developing countries, the risk of climate change is very real, especially since it is an archipelagic country, with 17 thousand islands. The risks are not only detrimental to health but also put farmers and fishermen in trouble.
“We really hope for the support of all G7 countries in the Indonesian Presidency at the G20. See you in Bali. Thank you,” the president stated.
During session II of the G7 summit on the topics of food security and gender equality, President Jokowi called on G7 and G20 countries to jointly overcome the food crisis that currently threatens people in developing countries to fall into extreme hunger and poverty.
“(Some) 323 million people in 2022, according to the World Food Programme, are at risk of facing acute food insecurity. The G7 and G20 have a big responsibility to overcome this food crisis. Let us fulfill our responsibilities now and from now on,” President Jokowi affirmed.
According to the president, food is the most basic human rights issue. Indubitably, women from poor families suffer the most from food shortages for their children and families.
“We must act quickly to find a concrete solution. Food production must be increased. The global food and fertilizer supply chain must return to normal,” the president stated.
In his speech, President Jokowi emphasized the importance of G7 countries’ support for the reintegration of Ukraine’s wheat exports and Russia’s exports of food and fertilizer commodities in global supply chains.
There are two ways to realize this, with the first being the facilitation of Ukraine’s grain exports that can begin immediately.
According to the president, the second approach is proactive communication with the public worldwide that food and fertilizer commodities from Russia are not subject to sanctions.
“This intensive communication is very necessary, so that there is no prolonged doubt in the (minds of the) international public. This intensive communication also needs to be strengthened with communication with related parties, such as banks, insurance, shipping, and others,” the president explained.
President Jokowi had paid significant attention to the impact of the war on food and fertilizer supply chains.
“(This is) especially for fertilizers, because if we fail to handle it, then a rice crisis involving two billion people, especially in developing countries, can occur,” the president cautioned.
At the end of his remarks, the president again called for the importance of the G7 and G20 countries to jointly overcome this food crisis while also inviting G7 leaders to attend the G20 Summit in Bali.
“I am waiting for the G7 leaders to attend the G20 summit. See you in Bali, on November 15-16, 2022,” President Jokowi stated.
Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi noted that the president held about nine bilateral meetings with: the Prime Minister of India; French President; Prime Minister of Canada; Chancellor of Germany; British Prime Minister; Prime Minister of Japan; President of the European Commission; President of the Council of Europe; and the Managing Director of the IMF.
During the bilateral meetings, besides inviting other countries to solve the problems of the food supply chain, president Jokowi also highlighted the preparations for the G20 Summit.
“In these meetings, we can clearly see that support for the Indonesian Presidency is still very strong,” Marsudi noted.
In 2022, Germany takes over the G7 Presidency and hosts the 48th G7 summit held on June 26-28, 2022, in Schloss Elmau.
The G7, originally G8, was set up in 1975.
The annual G7 summits have, over the years, developed into a platform for determining the course of multilateral discourse and shaping political responses to global challenges.
Written by: Azis Kurmala, Editor: Fardah Assegaf (c) ANTARA 2022
