Creation of Spice Route meant for normalising S Arabia, Israel ties: global media

KARACHI: The international media has termed the effort of formulating routes between USA, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Middle East and India as an attempt to normalize the relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The Guardian wrote, “Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, is no exception. He has used the event to advertise what he sees as India’s leadership role as the ‘voice of the global south’. The world, Modi warned, was suffering a ‘crisis of trust’. His blatant use of the summit to boost his personal image and his chances in next year’s Indian elections showed how sadly true that is.”

It further mentioned, “Modi was adamant that geopolitical issues, meaning Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, should not be allowed to distract attention from the wider G20 agenda. He refused to invite Ukraine to attend. Yet this approach was never going to work, given that key global south issues, such as the price and availability of grain, are directly and negatively affected by the war. Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s ports, and its refusal to renew a UN-brokered export pact, most hurt the countries Modi most wants to help. But as expected, the summit’s ‘consensus’ declaration failed to condemn Russia’s invasion or its war crimes.”

Al Jazeera wrote, “A broad alliance – including the United States and Saudi Arabia – unveiled ambitious plans to create a modern-day Spice Route linking Europe, the Middle East and India.”

It added, “If the initiative goes ahead, it would establish railways, ports, electricity and data networks and hydrogen pipelines across the Middle East in a counterbalance to lavish Chinese infrastructure spending, potentially speeding trade between India and Europe by up to 40 percent.”

“The plans are also being touted as a means of helping to normalise relations between Israel and Gulf Arab states,” mentioned Al Jazeera.

According to Al Jazeera, “G20 leaders have been deeply riven over the Ukraine war since Moscow’s invasion last year, with Russian President Vladimir Putin skipping the summit entirely to dodge political opprobrium. Facing the prospect of a major diplomatic embarrassment, host India pressed members to agree on a common statement that watered down its earlier condemnation of the war.”

“Leaders failed to agree on a phase-out of fossil fuels despite a United Nations report a day earlier deeming the drawdown ‘indispensable’ to achieving net-zero emissions,” added Al Jazeera.

It further mentioned, “G20 nations account for about 80 percent of global emissions and an inability to agree on the phase-out is a cloud over a key round of climate discussions to begin in November in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.”