Albanese Will Attend G-20 Summit in Change to Australia’s Stance

(Bloomberg) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will attend the Group of 20 summit in November, in a turnaround from his predecessor’s stance that suggested the country might boycott the meeting if Russia attends.

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“The work of the G-20 is critical at this time of global economic uncertainty, and it will be by working with Indonesia that we most effectively tackle the many challenges we face in navigating the post-Covid global economic recovery,” Albanese said in a speech after meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

As this year’s host for the meeting of the world’s 20 biggest economies, Indonesia has faced pressure from the US and its allies to exclude President Vladimir Putin due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Former Australian leader Scott Morrison said in March that “the idea of sitting around the table” with Putin “for me is a step too far.”

Jokowi, as the Indonesian president is popularly known as, has instead chosen to invite both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to attend the summit, showing the delicate balance he needs to tread as the G-20 host at a time of war. Both leaders have accepted the invitation.

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Albanese spoke from Indonesia in his first visit there since being inaugurated in May. He has pledged closer ties with Indonesia, a country he called a future “superpower,” as part of his campaign to become Australia’s leader.

“I have a lot of respect for President Widodo’s high ambitions for Indonesia’s future,” Albanese said in the speech on Monday. “And I share his optimism.”

That confidence extends to Jokowi’s $37 billion plan to build a new capital city, with Albanese pledging to offer technical expertise to help Indonesia plan a “clean, green, hi-tech city” that will be developed on the rainforest-covered island of Borneo. The two leaders discussed expanding trade between the two countries, including increasing Indonesia’s car exports to Australia.

(Updates with context of Albanese’s earlier pledge for closer ties. Earlier version was corrected to say it’s Albanese’s first visit to Indonesia since his inauguration.)

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