Jakarta. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Tuesday revealed the behind-the-scenes effort taken by Indonesia and three other nations to help bridge the differences during the weekend’s G20 Summit in New Delhi.

Indonesia along with India, Brazil, and South Africa -- all coming from the Global South -- bridged the differences so that the summit could adopt a declaration.

“At the last stages [of the negotiations], there were paragraphs that we still needed to bridge the differences. Other countries played their part, but the four nations [that tried to be the bridge builders] at the time were India, Indonesia, Brazil, and South Africa,” Retno said in an exclusive interview with news broadcaster BTV in Jakarta on Tuesday.

“We cannot get everything we want in a negotiation. But we try to find the best point that brings all interests together.”

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo attended the first two of the three sessions at the New Delhi Summit. Speaking at the second session that embraced the theme “One Family”, the Indonesian leader said the world should become one big family that builds each other up.

“President [Jokowi] reminded the world that if something bad were to happen to a family member, that would take a toll on the other family members. Rising tensions call for someone to step up as … a safe house. And our track record shows that Indonesia has played that role,” Retno told BTV.

The G20 leaders agreed on a declaration with a softer stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, calling the states to refrain from the use of force as laid out in the UN Charter. It also did not directly mention Russia’s invasion.

Indonesia presided over the G20 last year and came up with a Bali Leaders’ Declaration, which was stronger in language.

According to the Bali Declaration, the leaders reiterated their national positions and deplored “in the strongest terms” the agression by Russia against Ukraine. The Bali Declaration also writes that “most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine''.

Read More: Indonesia Looks Back on Tough East Asia Summit Negotiations

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