G20 leaders agree joint declaration after deal on Ukraine statement

NEW DELHI, Sep 09 (DNA): The G20 leaders have agreed a joint
declaration, Narendra Modi announced on Saturday, alleviating fears that
disagreements over the Russia-Ukraine war would prevent a consensus for
the first time.

Speaking at an afternoon session of the G20 summit in Delhi, the Indian
prime minister said he had “just got the good news that due to the hard
work of our teams and your cooperation, a consensus has been reached on
the New Delhi G20 leaders’ summit declaration”.

To loud applause, Modi said the declaration had been officially adopted.

He said it meant this year’s G20 was “the most ambitious in the history
of G20. With 112 outcomes and presidency documents, we have more than
doubled the substantive work from previous presidencies.”

“It is my proposal that this G20 declaration be adopted,” the prime
minister said. After the approval of the members, Modi declared that it
has been adopted. “On this occasion, I would like to thank our
ministers, sherpas, and all officials who made this possible with their
hard work,” PM Modi said.

“India’s G20 Presidency has been the most ambitious in the history of
G-20. With 112 outcomes and presidency documents, we have more than
doubled the substantive work from previous presidencies,” PM Modi said.
Consensus among the members has been difficult to achieve as the member
countries are divided over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The declaration signifies a major win for India, which holds this year’s
G20 presidency. It has been a particularly challenging year for the
group, which represents the world’s largest economies, as Russia and
China had proved intransigent in discussions around the Ukraine war,
climate and energy, derailing attempts for a consensus in previous
ministerial meetings.

“The Indian side circulated the draft paragraph on the Ukraine issue
among the other G20 members this [Saturday] morning. It is now being
considered by the other states. Some countries have no problem with the
wording,” a person from a G7 state said on condition of anonymity.

Two people from a G20 state also said the draft paragraph on Ukraine had
been circulated among the other member states for discussions in an
effort to break the logjam on the issue.

The people described the discussions as “tough” and noted that the
Ukraine crisis remained the main issue holding up consensus on the draft
leaders’ declaration. The Indian side has pushed for the draft paragraph
to be accepted by all states in order to ensure a successful conclusion
to the summit, but the people acknowledged that the discussions are
likely to be extended. DNA

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