Jakarta knows that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Bali, Indonesia respects the decision of the Russian leader. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan of Indonesia, who is in charge of preparing the meeting's events, said this on Thursday.
"There is official information that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the G20 summit, he will be represented by a high-ranking official, an issue that was discussed between [Indonesian President] Joko Widodo and Putin during a past phone conversation," Pandjaitan was quoted by Associated Press as saying.
He said he did not know why Putin would not attend the summit, but added that "President Putin may have business at home" and the decision "should be respected."
"Whatever happens with Russia's decision, it's all for our common good and better for all of us," Pandjaitan said.
Alexander Tumaykin, spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Indonesia, told TASS on Thursday that Putin could attend the G-20 summit in Bali online. Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the head of state, also told TASS that the Russian delegation at the summit, which will be held on November 15-16, will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS