'We do not live in era of war': French minister agrees with PM Modi's view on Russia-Ukraine conflict

If we want to have a strong and sustainable world for the next decade we need to have this Russia-Ukraine to be over, he said.

French minister Bruno Le Maire on Friday said that his country endorses Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'this is not an era of war' view in relation to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"We fully trust India to reach a strong communique & happy to see India in the driving seat today. We share the view of PM Modi that this is not an era of war," ANI quoted French minister Bruno Le Maire in a tweet. He made these comments at the 2nd G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meetings in Bengaluru.

France has reaffirmed its strong condemnation of the "illegal and brutal attack" of Russia against Ukraine, Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Economy, Finance and Digital and Industrial Sovereignty said. "If we want to have a strong & sustainable world for the next decade we need to have this war to be over," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand in September 2022, held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and told, "Today's era isn't of war and I've spoken to you about it on the call. Today we will get the opportunity to talk about how can we progress on the path of peace. India-Russia has stayed together with each other for several decades."

This one-liner has been widely quoted by world leaders while targeting Russia to end the war.

Coming back to Bruno Le Maire, he is in Bengaluru to attend the First G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) which is spread over three sessions on February 24th-25th, covering issues such as strengthening multilateral development banks to address shared global challenges of the 21st century, financing for resilient, inclusive and sustainable 'cities of tomorrow', leveraging Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for advancing financial inclusion and productivity gains. The sessions will also cover issues related to global economy, global health, and international taxation, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance.

The discussions in the G20 FMCBG meeting are intended to provide a clear mandate for the various workstreams of the G20 Finance Track in 2023.

On the sidelines of these meetings, a number of side events have been planned for the visiting Ministers, Governors, Deputies and other delegates, on subjects such as Digital Public Infrastructure, Policy Perspectives on Crypto Assets and the role of National Payment Systems in Cross Border Payments.

A Ratri Bhoj Par Samvad and specially curated cultural programmes will also be organised for the Finance Ministers, Central Bank Governors and their delegations which will showcase India's diverse cuisines and culture.

A special event titled Walk the Talk: Policy in Action is also being organised, during which the Ministers and Governors will visit the Indian Institute of Science (IIS) to engage with tech-innovators and entrepreneurs who are working on affordable and scalable solutions to some of the challenges being faced by G20 member countries.

On 26th February choices of excursions have been provided for the delegates to provide them an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful natural landscape of Karnataka.