G20 Summit 2023: An agreement on geopolitical problems (Russia-Ukraine) took 200 hours of constant negotiations

According to foreign policy experts, India's presidency of the G20 or the Group of 20 proved capable to gather all member countries to the table on the problem of war in Ukraine, as well as bring to forefront the voice of developing markets as moderators.

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The New Delhi Declaration, issued on the first day of the two-day G20 Summit, established the direction of future negotiations on critical economic issues such as climate financing, which for the first time assigned a $5.9 trillion figure to the green financing requirements for developing countries, reforms in multilateral banks, international taxation, and sustainable development.

People expected the declaration not to be issued and for China and Russia to oppose the Ukraine paragraph, but the fact that everyone agreed on a little give and take is a tribute to India's diplomacy as well as India's ability to choose well.

Emerging countries have a role to play in terms of being a moderating influence, and India has been a moderating influence before, according to Rajiv Dogra, former Indian ambassador to Italy, Romania, Moldova, Albania, and San Marino, as well as India's permanent representative to United Nations agencies based in Rome.

Russia-Ukraine conflict

On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India worked closely with Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia, where developing markets played a critical role, said India's Sherpa to the G20, Amitabh Kant, after the joint declaration was issued on Saturday.

The declaration also acknowledged Turkiye's and the UN-mediated Istanbul Agreements' contributions to the effective implementation of the Black Sea grain deal, which ensures quick and uninterrupted supply of grain, foodstuffs, and fertilizers/inputs from the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

The most difficult aspect of the entire G20 was reaching an agreement on the geopolitical issues (Russia-Ukraine). Kant claimed in a social media post on Sunday that this took 200 hours of nonstop negotiations, 300 bilateral sessions, and 15 drafts.

Joe Biden : Decisions made in G20 summit will have long term impact

President of the United States Joe Biden stated that decisions made today will have long-term consequences. This year's Summit demonstrated that the G20 can still drive answers to our most pressing concerns at a time when the global economy is reeling from the simultaneous shocks of the climate crisis, vulnerability and conflict, he stated in a social media post prior to the Summit's closing.

Dogra went on to say that India's legacy of being a moderating influence in the 1950s and 1960s, and then as a voice of reason, non-alignment, and opposition to racism and colonialism, has served it well in the G20 negotiations, where the PM's name and intervention helped to secure the crucial agreement with all countries.

Congratulations on your Prime Minister's leadership. Dogra remarked, "I'm sure his phone calls to various leaders would've caused a difference and agreed text was stamped on within time."

The agreement on a joint declaration represents a significant diplomatic achievement in the midst of challenging negotiations to resolve disputes.

Concerning the conflict in Ukraine, the statement emphasised that, in accordance with the UN Charter, all states shall refrain from threatening or employing force to seek territorial acquisition against any state's territorial integrity, sovereignty, or political independence. Nuclear weapons use or threat is prohibited. There was no mention of Russia's actions in Ukraine.

G20 now includes the African Union

The African Union was also named as a permanent member of the G20, and it was underlined that the continent played a significant role in the global economy.

On the sidelines, South African President Jacob Zuma's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, told Mint that India's role in including the Global South in the Summit had set the standard for subsequent talks by any and all multilateral platforms, where the voice of underdeveloped and developing nations would have a permanent platform.