US scraps G20 group photo in Atlanta after Europeans balk at posing with Lavrov
Secretary of State Rubio called off the traditional family photo as G20 foreign ministers opened talks in Atlanta, after several European diplomats threatened to walk out of the photo with Russia's Sergey Lavrov.
Archive image · Photo: U.S. Department of State / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
The United States has dropped the customary group photo at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta. Several European diplomats objected to being pictured with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and threatened to walk out, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press. Secretary of State Marco Rubio decided to cancel the photo so the dispute would not overshadow the talks. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski welcomed the move as the right decision, AP reported.
Rubio is chairing the two-day meeting on Friday and Saturday, which paves the way for a G20 leaders' summit President Donald Trump will host in December at his golf club near Miami. U.S. officials say freedom of navigation is the top priority, including in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the South China Sea. Moscow complained that visas for Lavrov's delegation were issued only at the last minute.
Ukraine was not invited, and G20 member South Africa was left out at Washington's request. South Africa's foreign ministry said its non-participation was "not voluntary." German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Friday there would be no family photo showing the European partners together with Lavrov. There is no normality with Russia, he said, according to dpa.