World leaders have gathered for this year’s two-day G20 summit of the world's major economies in Hangzhou, China. As the leaders address global economic challenges and the issues of global security, RT brings you the details of the issues covered.
05 September 2016
The leaders of Russia and the US have finally come to a common understanding on the issue of the conflict in Syria, President Putin said, following a Monday meeting with his US counterpart Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China. Moscow and Washington may reach an agreement on resolving the crisis in the Middle Eastern country shortly, Putin said.
"Our collaborative effort with the US in fighting terrorist organizations, including the ones in Syria, may be significantly improved and intensified," the Russian leader told a press conference on the results of the summit.
READ MORE: Putin: Russia & US may reach agreement on Syria 'within next few days'
Leaders from the world's top economies said on Monday that Britain's vote to exit the European Union added uncertainty to the global economic outlook but G20 economies were well positioned to deal with the economic and financial fallout. In a communique wrapping up the G20 summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, leaders said that monetary policy alone could not lead to balanced growth, and pledged to not devalue their currencies for competitive gain. The statement was first published in French on the website of the French Presidency. (Reuters)
Speaking at a press conference on the results of the G20 summit, US leader Barack Obama talked about his meeting with Putin, saying that they discussed "a range of issues." The situation in Syria was among the most important of them, Obama said, adding that he and Putin talked "ways in which we can institute a meaningful, serious, verifiable cessation of hostilities in Syria and our capacity to provide some humanitarian relief to" the Syrian people.
"Typically the tone of our meetings is candid, blunt, businesslike - and this one was no different," the US president said, adding that in China he and Putin "had some productive conversations," as both countries need to "focus attention on common enemies, like ISIL [Islamic State] and Al-Nusra."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested the creation of a no-fly zone over northern Syria. The proposal was addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Barack Obama at the G20 summit, he said at a press conference, TASS reports, citing Turkey‘s TRT channel. Erdogan said the measure is required to “assure the peaceful life of Syrians” on the border with Turkey and between the cities of Jarablus and Azaz in particular. Since August 24, Turkey has been conducting a ground operation in Syria against Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS/ISIL) near Jarablus and the surrounding areas.
Economic cooperation is among the main priorities on the agenda of relations between Russia and Egypt, President Putin said at his bilateral meeting with Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the G20 sidelines. The governments and parliaments of the two nations are in contact, while cooperation has also been established between Russia's and Egypt's law enforcement, Putin said, adding that he always has a range of issues to discuss with the Egyptian leader.
Argentina is Russia's "remarkable trade and economic partner in Latin America," President Putin said during a meeting with his Argentine counterpart Mauricio Macri on the G20 sidelines on Monday. Saying that he was happy to meet in person with the Argentine leader, who has been in office since 2015, Putin said that the countries' various ministries are in constant contact, and that cooperation is developing in several directions. "We closely cooperate in both international and regional formats," the Russian leader said.
Together with Putin, a number of other officials and top businessmen attended the meeting in Hangzhou with their Argentine counterparts, including Russia's foreign and finance ministers, as well as the heads of Gazprom and Rosneft.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama discussed Syria and Ukraine during their meeting at the G20 summit in China, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. “The meeting lasted longer than planned. It mainly focused on Syria, as well as Ukraine. After that, Obama and Putin spoke tête-à-tête,” Peskov told reporters, adding that “work will be continued.”
After the members of the presidential delegations were asked to leave the leaders for a private talk, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry also held a conversation in the corridor, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama are meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.
A meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry on Syria ended without a deal as differences remain unresolved, a senior State Department official told Reuters.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye told her Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, that North Korea’s behavior this year has “seriously undermined peace in this region and posed a challenge to the development of the South Korea-China relations.”
She defended the decision to station the US THAAD anti-missile system as an "inevitable, self-defense" measure to counter threats stemming from Pyongyang.
"(I) hope that through earnest communication, our two countries can turn this challenge into an opportunity to further strengthen and move forward our bilateral relationship," Yonhap quote the South Korean leader as saying.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye that China opposes the US deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea.
“Mishandling the issue is not conducive to strategic stability in the region and could intensify disputes,” Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.
04 September 2016
Putin met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the summit on Sunday, aiming to discuss bilateral cooperation and the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
"Despite the late hour, it is good to have a chance to talk about our bilateral relations, and the problems that are of mutual interest and which we are so determinedly trying to resolve," the Russian president told Merkel ahead of the meeting.
"I am very glad that we have the chance to have these talks," the German chancellor said in turn, adding that the issues on the agenda are "really important" and require discussions in a "bilateral format." Merkel added: "I mean the issue of Ukraine, for example."
Vladimir Putin met with Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammad Bin Salman on the sidelines of the G20 summit. As the two nations are the largest oil-producing countries, Russia "attaches great importance to expanding multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation with Saudi Arabia," the president said.
Putin also stressed that constant dialogue with Riyadh was imperative for Moscow, as he believed "none of the serious issues in the [Middle Eastern] region can be resolved without Saudi Arabia."
The latest report by RT's Daniel Hawkins from G20 summit in Hangzhou
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his French counterpart Francois Hollande at the G20 summit on Sunday. According to Hollande, he wanted to “personally” meet Putin at the G20 gathering to talk about the Russian leader’s upcoming trip to France in October. The French leader expressed his desire to discuss economic problems emerging from political tensions as well as global challenges such as the refugee crisis and terrorism.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama have held a brief talk on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to TASS.
“He [Putin] indeed spoke to Obama on several occasions ‘on the go,’ but it wasn’t a substantive discussion, they have decided to have a thorough talk tomorrow. The meeting will be agreed, they haven’t decided on its format yet,” Peskov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama are to hold a meeting on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti.
“The leaders have made an arrangement for tomorrow,” Peskov said. When asked if this is going to be a full-scale meeting, Peskov noted that the format is still not determined. Putin and Obama may meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit, but there is a chance that the meeting will be official. The decision depends on how busy both presidents will be.
The conflict in Syria can be resolved exclusively through political measures, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during an informal meeting of the BRICS group in China. He reminded that Russia, along with its partners, had managed to establish a ceasefire in a number of regions in Syria and promoted the start of negotiations between the warring parties. Putin called on his fellow-leaders to unite in the face of the global terrorism threat, adding that “in order to effectively stand up against the threats of terrorism all the states involved must combine their efforts.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her hope to hear positive news on the dispute over German lawmakers’ visit to Turkish Incirlik airbase after a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The lawmakers have been blocked from the base by Ankara since June due to the scandal around Bundestag’s resolution on Armenian genocide, while some 200 German troops are currently stationed there.
Merkel also said there is a chance for the EU and Turkey to resolve their issues regarding visa liberalization for Turks, although it could still take weeks for the sides to come to an agreement.
Russia’s economy has stabilized, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the opening session of the G20 summit in Hangzhou.
“With regard to our country, we consider [our efforts] insufficient and modest, yet our economy has in fact stabilized,” Putin said.
“We have secured the reserves and reduced the outflow of money […] five times [compared to last year, reduced inflation twofold, lowered the budget deficit to 2.6 percent. We’ve kept the unemployment rate very low - 5.7 percent. External debt is also at a low level - only 12 percent per annum,” he said.
He also noted that Russia has been showing small but steady growth in industrial production and other spheres, adding that Moscow plans to “continue to reduce the budget deficit […] and continue with the balanced [economic] policy to ensure macroeconomic stability and [improve] the business climate.” Putin said. He stressed that despite complaints by some world leaders of problems and difficulties within the world economy, a “slow, but positive economic recovery" can be observed today on a global scale.
At a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed refugee-related agreements between Turkey and the European Union, as well as the Syrian crisis, TASS reported. In their first meeting after a failed military coup in Turkey in July, Merkel and Erdogan also discussed mutual relations, which have worsened following the official recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the German Bundestag this summer. Ankara demanded that Berlin distance itself from Bundestag’s resolution, but Merkel refused, noting earlier this week that the decisions of the German parliament have no legal power over the government. Germany now expects that Turkey will let the German MPs to NATO's Incirlik airbase, where 200 German soldiers are stationed. Earlier Berlin was refused this opportunity due to the controversy around the resolution.
The Russian and Turkish leaders have discussed specific details of the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, Russian Economic Development Minister Aleksey Ulyukayev said, as reported by RIA Novosti. The conversation even touched on the spot where the pipeline will connect to the Turkish coast, Ulyukaev said, explaining that “very practical questions have been discussed.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama have agreed to have a separate discussion on the sidelines of the G20 summit, TASS reported on Sunday, citing Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and UK Prime Minister Theresa May discussed efforts to tackle terrorist threats, as well as the Syrian crisis and aviation safety at a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Russian Economic Development Minister Aleksey Ulyukayev said on Sunday.
“The sides have discussed a wide range of issues, which are challenging in the current situation, and tried to find contacts, where it is possible to renew the dialogue,” the minister told reporters, as reported by Sputnik news agency.
“First of all they are the issues of security, of struggle against terror threat, the issues of settlement in Syria, of fight against drug trafficking and aviation safety,” Ulyukayev said.
Both sides pointed out negative developments in trade and investment sectors, while Putin declared a readiness to promote cooperation between the finance departments of the two governments.
May expressed her wish to have a “frank and open relationship” with Moscow despite the different points of view on a number of issues, AP reported.
“While I recognize there will be some differences between us, there are some complex and serious areas of concern and issues to discuss, I hope we will be able to have a frank and open relationship and dialogue,” May stated.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed the prospects of lifting of Russia's ban imposed on Turkish food products, Russian Economic Development Minister Aleksey Ulyukayev said on Sunday.
“It has been discussed in the context that we are working on lifting these restrictions,” Ulyukayev told reporters, as cited by TASS, adding that Russia needs to make sure that Turkish companies that aspire to import their agricultural products to Russian meet quality standards.
Moscow imposed several restrictive measures on Ankara after the last year’s downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber by Turkish F-16 fighter jets over Syrian territory, which saw a Russian pilot killed. These measures included a ban on a number of food imports and on charter flights to Turkey. Tensions eased in June, when the Erdogan officially apologized to Putin. The ban on charter flights was lifted, but the ban on food imports still holds.
The leaders also talked about Akkuyu NPP, Turkey’s first nuclear power plant currently under construction by Russia’s company Rosatom. Ulyukayev said that the project is “developing positively” and is to be put into operation within the timeframe set out in the contract.
“With regard to [Akkuyu NPP] the situation is developing rather positively. The Turkish side has fulfilled its promises […] and declared the project as being of strategic importance. We are highly confident that the first stage of the project will be put into operation within the timeframe set out in the contract, which is seven years I believe,” the minister said.
Washington and Moscow have reached common ground on many technical issues related to the settlement of the conflict in Syria, the parties have yet to resolve but a few remaining “tough issues,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday.
“We will meet tomorrow morning and see whether or not it is possible to bridge the gap and come to a conclusion on these couple of issues,” Kerry said after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the summit.
President Barack Obama, meanwhile, said that despite working “around the clock,” US and Russian negotiators “are not there yet” in reaching a deal to reduce violence in Syria as they have “grave differences.”
Addressing the Syria crisis during a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May, the US leader also expressed skepticism over the prospect of enabling the cessation of hostilities in the Middle Eastern country, as previous ones have failed to hold, but said it's “worth trying.”
In the opening remarks to the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the world economy is currently recovering, but still faces multiple challenges in finance, trade and investment. He noted that the aim of the summit is to discuss innovation in the economic sphere, as well as ways to make global economic and financial governance more efficient. Xi stressed the need for G20 meetings to be transformed into a mechanism that generally guides the global economy, not merely waits for crises to appear, AP reported on Sunday.
The president also remarked on the BRICS group alliance between Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, noting that this bloc of emerging market powerhouses should grow alongside the Group of 20. The BRICS leaders are to meet next month at their own summit in India.