Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe says that the statement by the Group of Seven (G7) justifying Israel’s attack on Iran as self-defence is not acceptable because the attack took place while talks between the US and Iran were still ongoing.
Wickremesinghe, attending the Valdai Discussion Club roundtable in Saint Petersburg, Russia on Tuesday (17), described the current global context as the dismantling of global order and the emergence of a multipolar world.
He stated that alongside the power blocs in Asia, Africa, Eurasia and Latin America, alternative power structures are emerging in the form of non-state actors, military actors and even the multilateral organisations such as the IMF. These influential forces are responsible for shaping the global order.
“They are not states, but nevertheless we have to take them in,” he stressed.
Delivering his remarks at the conference, the former President stated that the Indo-Pacific was a result of the absence of a clear boundary of the Pacific. It was created with the purpose of dealing with the Taiwan crisis, an issue the Indian Ocean has no wish to get involved in, as it is accepted that Taiwan is a part of China.
Wickremesinghe also called for the G7 to be scrapped and for the G20, or Group of Twenty, to take its place instead.
“We have to recognize the shift of power and it’s a multipolar world. So, we should ask for G7 to be scrapped and G20 to take its place. You do not need G7 and G20. G20 has all the key players into it.”
The former President also called for the recognition of the role that is being played by BRICS+.
“It’s useless talking about G7 when most of the countries don’t even count very much as far as we are concerned,” he said.
The former President, went on to add that the G7 communiqué, justifying Israel’s attack on Iran as self-defense, should be rejected, stating that the attack took place while talks between the US and Iran were going on.
“The other issue that has come up and which is of concern to us is the Israel presence in Iran. The G7 communiqué of yesterday, justifying it as self-defence is not acceptable because the attack took place while talks were going on.”
“If it took place, to give the most favorable interpretation to Israel, then it had to be after the talks were over and if it broke down. But talks went on. The 60-day period was over but the United States decided to give it an extension by going for another round. So, this concept of self-defence is harmful.”
“Secondly, what we are afraid is the Israel attack has not as they intended destroyed everything in the first attack. So, you can witness maybe a more drawn-out conflict which has to be brought to an end.”
“So, this is the terrain we have as of today and it’s within this we have to decide how we go forward,” Wickremesinghe said in his concluding remarks.
The Valdai Discussion Club held a roundtable in Saint Petersburg, titled “Homo Perplexus: How to Stop Fearing and Learn to Love Change”, in the run-up to St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). The participants of the first session discussed, whether the state is capable of pursuing policy without strategy and whether tactics can be made strategic in an era of dramatic change.
