The G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, made headlines due to a "family photo" tension that occurred before the opening. At the meeting, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the traditional group photo session was removed from the official program after some European ministers refused to appear in the same frame as Lavrov.
The background of the tension lies in the ongoing diplomatic distance between Western countries and Moscow due to Russia's war in Ukraine. It was stated that the photo session was cancelled following objections from the European side to prevent it from turning into a political demonstration that would overshadow the main agenda of the meeting.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul clearly stated their position in a statement made before the meeting. Wadephul said, "There will certainly be no family photo with European partners and Mr. Lavrov together. Normalization with Russia is out of the question."
An official from the US Department of State also stated that the Washington administration did not want the photo session to become a distraction, and therefore, the session was removed from the official program.
An unnamed Western diplomat claimed that approximately one-third of the participants, including Australia and Canada, opposed appearing in the same photo frame as Lavrov.
A formula involving two separate photo sessions was also considered to overcome the crisis. According to this, it was evaluated that a second session could be held without the Russian minister after a photo featuring Lavrov. However, the removal of the traditional family photo from the program was interpreted as a new reflection of the ongoing diplomatic division at the G20 due to the war in Ukraine.
News Source: 12punto
