JakartaPost-July 14
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo urged countries of the Group of 20 to set aside their differences and continue working toward a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine, as the lives of billions could be on the line if the conflict persisted and disrupted the supply of basic foodstuffs. He also called on the forum’s foreign ministers — who are scheduled to meet later this week in Bali — to work out a solution that could help ease access to food for millions who are currently facing a shortage of grain and cereals as a result of Russia’s ongoing invasion of the European country “The lives of millions if not billions of people, mostly in Africa and Asia, could be at stake if these grains are not released,” Jokowi told journalists at the State Palace on Wednesday. He was referring to an estimated of 50 million metric tons of new grain harvests now stuck in Ukraine because of a Russian blockade. The President added that although Indonesia — a major consumer of rice — had not been seriously impacted by the grain shortage, a disruption in the supply of gas could spell more trouble in the near future. “If we don’t get a sufficient supply of gas, we can’t produce fertilizers for farmers to use in rice cultivation, so rice production could also be impacted,” he said. In his trip to Moscow in early July, President Jokowi secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putin to guarantee shipments of food and fertilizer from both Russia and Ukraine. In his meeting with Group of Seven leaders prior to his visit to Kyiv and Moscow, Jokowi also urged leaders to ensure that sanctions on Russia would not affect such supplies. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2022/07/13/millions-of-lives-at-stake-if-g20-fails-to-act-jokowi.html.
