Russia hopes G-20 summit in India will give 'serious impetus' to efforts to reform IMF, WTO

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday said that the G-20 leaders’ summit in India was “successful."

Speaking at a news conference in New Delhi following the meeting, Lavrov said he expects that the summit will give "a very serious impetus" to the efforts to reform both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

"The declaration (of the G-20 summit) formulates the task of reform of the International Monetary Fund, where for a long time if the quotas and votes are honestly divided, Americans will not have a blocking ticket, which is artificially preserved," he said.

"This year's summit created the basis for ensuring justice in the global economy and financial circles. Western countries need to think about how right it is to continue the line of domination," he said.

Lavrov said the West will not be able to remain "a global hegemon," given that new centers of development, power, and political influence have long appeared and are rapidly gaining strength.

"The G-20 declaration reflects the line to achieve an honest and fair balance of interests, the movement in this direction has begun," he said.

Commenting on disputes about the "Ukrainian part" of the 2023 G-20 declaration, Lavrov said the West tried to “impose the Ukrainian agenda” but failed.

"Ukraine's paragraph is mentioned, but in the context of the necessity to settle conflicts," he added.

- Resumption of grain deal

Asked about the resumption of the grain deal, Lavrov said it is possible if Moscow’s demands are met.

On July 17, Russia suspended its participation in the pact, brokered by Türkiye and the UN to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports that were paused after Moscow's "special military operation" in February 2022.

Russia has repeatedly complained that the West has not met its obligations, and there are restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance on shipments of its own food and fertilizer exports.

Lavrov confirmed receiving a letter from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, saying it "called on Russia to urgently resume" the deal in return for promises "to do something" for the implementation of the Russian part of the agreement.

According to the Russian foreign minister, Guterres is "used to promote unilateral approaches," and that the suggestions, outlined in the document, are “unrealistic.”

- Russia 'regrets' Armenia's decision to hold joint military drill with US

The Russian foreign minister said he “regrets” Armenia's decision to hold joint military exercises with the US.

"We do not see anything good in the fact that an aggressive NATO country is trying to penetrate into South Caucasus," he said.

About the Karabakh issue, he said that in the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian agreements, it was “explicitly said that the status of the region should be defined further.”

However, he added, at a meeting in Prague, organized and coordinated by the Western countries, the Armenian prime minister signed a document according to which Karabakh is recognized as the territory of Azerbaijan.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire.

Tensions between the two nations, however, continue despite ongoing talks over a long-term peace agreement.

On Wednesday, the Armenian Defense Ministry announced that the joint US-Armenian military exercises Eagle Partner 2023 will be held on Armenian territory from Sept. 11 to 20.