In a short video, Macron is seen on the second step of the podium, reaching out to each G20 leader in the last row and shaking his or her hand. S. Lavrov, with whom the French president has not been in contact since the beginning of the large-scale war in Ukraine, can also be seen in the queue.
E. Macron approached the Russian Foreign Minister and extended his hand to him. S. Lavrov, who was standing on the top step, responded to the French president’s gesture and shook his hand.
The unexpected confrontation between the representatives of the two countries, which do not maintain diplomatic relations, took place while they were preparing for the traditional “family photo” of the summit.
On the same day, during the meeting, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, in the presence of the Russian Foreign Minister, publicly called for support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
During one of the meetings in Bali, Indonesia, in 2022 The G20 organizers decided to abandon the traditional “family photo” of the delegates, so as not to be photographed with the Russian Foreign Minister S. Lavrov. At that time, the summit was held on the Indonesian island of Bali.
This year the meeting takes place in Rio de Janeiro on November 18-19.
Forgot to take a picture
This is not the only reason why the photo of the participants of this year’s G20 summit attracted such media attention.
It is said that US President J. Biden, Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are not among the most important world leaders.
The organizers of the meeting claim that Mr. Biden, Mr. Meloni and Mr. Trudeau were late.
However, the American official blamed logistical problems and indicated that the photo shoot took place earlier than planned. He also emphasized that Mr. Biden’s non-appearance was not an act of protest, as some media started portraying this incident.
Meloni and Trudeau spoke after a bilateral meeting when the Italian leader recalled and shouted: “Photo!”, according to the Canadian Press Service.
However, it is noted that the president of Brazil, Lula Inacio da Silva, was still satisfied with the photo.
“It’s very unfortunate that the trio was late and missed the opportunity,” one official told Bloomberg, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the president’s thoughts.
Source: www.15min.lt
