'A moment of choosing': Marco Rubio warns G20 ministers of threat to global order

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta on Friday, warning that mounting economic and geopolitical crises were placing the global order under severe strain.

Welcoming foreign ministers and diplomats to Georgia, Rubio described the gathering as a “moment of choosing” for the United States and the wider international community, calling for coordinated action to protect global stability, trade and security.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is also attending the meeting.

Rubio flags threats to global trade and security

Rubio said the meeting was taking place at a critical juncture for international stability, with several interconnected crises threatening the foundations of the global economic order.

“I hope this will be a productive meeting, as we are in a critical moment. I would call it a moment of choosing, and I would say not just for my country, the United States of America, but frankly, for the world,” he said.

The US Secretary of State pointed to mounting pressure on energy and food supplies, international trade and global supply chains, alongside growing threats to freedom of navigation.

“We are facing a series of interconnected economic and geopolitical crises, many of which pose severe threats, severe threats to essential foundations of the global economic order. New disruptions and strains to global energy and food supplies, and food markets, to the global supply chain, to trade, to freedom of navigation itself,” Rubio said.

He called on the world’s leading economies to work together to address these challenges, strengthen economic resilience and protect markets and the economies they support.

“The G20 must work together to confront these threats, to strengthen our economic resilience, to safeguard our markets and the economies that they sustain,” he said.

‘Solutions must be multifaceted and interconnected’

Rubio also referred to the initiatives being pursued by US President Donald Trump’s administration, saying the challenges confronting the international community were closely linked and required comprehensive responses.

“The challenges we have addressed during the presidency of President Trump are multifaceted and interconnected, and the solutions must be too,” he said.

He described the ministerial meeting as an important opportunity to establish the diplomatic groundwork for greater geopolitical stability and economic prosperity.

“Here, we can help set the context for expanded geopolitical stability and the broader economic prosperity agenda that our leaders will tackle,” Rubio said.

The Secretary of State said diplomats and political leaders had a responsibility to coordinate responses to emerging crises and protect their countries’ shared interests.

“As diplomats, as political leaders, we have a vital role to play,” he said. “We are tasked, on behalf of the nations that we serve, to work together with one another to coordinate responses to emerging crises and to protect our shared interests.”

Rubio urged participants to turn their common priorities into practical cooperation, saying tangible action was necessary to reinforce international stability and deliver results for citizens.

“By translating our shared interests into practical cooperation and real action, we can reinforce global stability, and more importantly, we can deliver meaningful results for our citizens,” he said.

(with ANI inputs)