G20 leaders secure last-minute agreement on summit declaration

New Delhi, Sep 9 (EFE).- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the G20 nations had reached a last-minute consensus on the joint declaration to be issued at the conclusion of the summit in New Delhi.

The consensus marks a significant breakthrough for India’s bloc presidency, given the growing differences among G20 member nations over the Ukraine conflict and global debt restructuring.

“I have received good news. Because of our team’s hard work, and with your support, there is a consensus on the New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit declaration,” Modi said during the summit in the Indian capital.

“I announce the adoption of the declaration,” he said.

However, specific details of the communiqué have yet to be disclosed.

Sources who saw the declaration said the document called on all G20 states to uphold “the principles of international law including territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the declaration “consciously sought to make the G20 as inclusive and broad-based as possible.”

Reaching a consensus has become increasingly challenging for G20 negotiators.

Over the past year of India’s presidency, the forum of the world’s 20 wealthiest nations has failed to produce a joint statement at the conclusion of every ministerial meeting, primarily due to the deep-seated differences between Western countries and the China-Russia alliance concerning the Ukraine conflict.

Sources informed EFE that the outcome document, referred to as the New Delhi Declaration, comprises more than 100 points.

The preparation of the document involved significant “sacrifices” made by G20 negotiators to make progress in certain areas, according to the sources.

The main point of contention revolved around the condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

India had earlier presented a draft text that most countries, particularly the G7 group, found inadequate in terms of language regarding the conflict, a European Union official to EFE.

The language used to address the conflict remained the primary obstacle.

Negotiations were similarly complicated during the Bali summit in Indonesia last year.

However, an agreement was reached at the last moment to issue a declaration that reflected the perspectives of the majority of G20 countries, including mention of the war in Ukraine.

“Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed that it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy,” the Bali declaration said.

China rejected even the Bali text this year, the sources said.

Tensions between Western countries on one side and Russia and China on the other have marked India’s G20 presidency.

The absence of the presidents, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, from the summit only highlighted the differences, which led to the belief that it would be difficult to reach a consensus among all the group members.