In
an interview with
Interfax News Agency on
21 December, Russian
foreign minister, Sergei
Lavrov, listed Syria and
Iran, and advances in
Eurasian integration as
exceptionally important
achievements
Russia‘s G20 agenda concentrated
on igniting a new cycle of economic
growth in the world economy by
fostering jobs and investment;
improving regulation; and increasing
‗trust and transparency.‘ Perhaps the
most interesting development was
Russia‘s expansion of the traditional
G20 dialogue with civil society: as
well as the usual G20 meetings of
working groups, Sherpas and
ministers throughout the year, Russia
also convened a G20 Civil Summit
which took place in Moscow in June.
The climax of Russia‘s presidency
was the G20 summit in St
Petersburg in September. However, a
slight pall was cast by the US
administration‘s
cancellation
in
August of a bilateral meeting
between Presidents Obama and
Putin, which had been planned to
Syria and Iran
In retrospect, it turned out that
Obama and Putin did meet, not in
Moscow but on the sidelines of the
St Petersburg summit. Their
discussion about placing Syria's
chemical
weapons
under
international control led to Russia‘s
most significant foreign policy
achievement of the year. For two and
a half years Russia and the United
States – and Russia and most of
Europe – had been at loggerheads
over what to do about the civil war in
Syria.
Now
there
was
a
breakthrough.
The
Russians
persuaded Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad to avert a US military strike
by handing over his chemical
weapons to be destroyed, while
Obama postponed a vote by the US
Congress on military action.
23
take place in Moscow ahead of the
summit.
Page
of Russia‘s foreign policy
in 2013. But he also
mentioned Russia‘s presidency
of the G20 in 2013 as worthy of
note.