‘Resounding success’: US, Russia and other G20 members hail New Delhi summit | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: G20 leaders and geopolitical experts on Sunday hailed the New Delhi Summit as a resounding success and said the meeting has once again put the bloc at the centre of global governance.
The biggest takeaway of the summit was the New Delhi Declaration wherein all 83 paras of the declaration were passed unanimously with 100% consensus along with China and Russia in agreement.

For the first time, the declaration contained no footnote or Chair’s Summary.
The G20 meeting also saw the African Union being inducted as the new permanent member of G20 thereby offering developing nations a greater say in global decision-making.PM Narendra Modi on Saturday also launched the Global Biofuels Alliance in the presence of US President Joe Biden, President of Brazil Luiz Inacio, President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández and Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni.
Another major takeaway from the summit was the announcement of a mega India-Middle East-Europe shipping and railway connectivity corridor by India, the US, Saudi Arabia and the European Union.
India passed the ceremonial gavel of the G20 presidency to Brazil on Sunday.
Here’s what world leaders and experts had to say about the New Delhi Summit:
G20 can still drive solutions: Biden
US President Joe Biden said this year’s G20 summit has proved that the group can still drive solutions to the most pressing issues of the climate crisis, fragility, and conflict.

Taking to X, US President said, “At a moment when the global economy is suffering from the overlapping shocks of the climate crisis, fragility, and conflict, this year’s Summit proved that the G20 can still drive solutions to our most pressing issues.”
A breakthrough summit: Russian foreign minister
Russia on Sunday said the G20 Summit under India’s presidency was a “breakthrough” conclave in many ways as its outcomes showed a path to the world to move forward on a range of challenges and demonstrated the strength and importance of the Global South.
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said India played an important role in “preventing the West” from taking forward their approach on many issues, including Ukraine.
“The summit declaration clearly sent across a message that military conflicts in the world must be resolved according to the UN Charter and that the Western powers will not be able to press ahead with their concepts of resolution of various crises. It is a breakthrough summit in many ways. It provides us a way forward to move ahead in many issues,” he added.
Lavrov also noted that the G20 Summit in New Delhi provided a direction towards fairness in global governance and global finance as well.
“I want to express my gratitude to India for preventing attempts to politicise the G20,” he said, adding the West will not be able to remain a “hegemony” as we see new centres of power coming up in the world.
Thank India for giving voice to emerging economies: Brazil president
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an “efficient leading” of India’s G20 Presidency and praised him for the work carried out in preparing the G20 Summit.
Lula also expressed gratitude to India for its efforts of giving voice of the topics of interest to emerging economies.
“I thank India for its efforts for giving voice of the topics of interest to emerging economies. I would also like to give my salute to our friend, the representative of the African Union, who is a member of the G20,” the Brazilian President said.

Lula da Silva stated that he was emotionally touched when he went to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. He said that Gandhi has great meaning in his political life. Brazilian President and other world leaders early today paid a visit to Rajghat and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi.
“I was emotionally touched when we went to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi…Gandhi has great meaning in my political life…He is a role model I have followed for many decades…Brazil will take chair to try to do something like India,” he said.
Strong partnership with India is paramount for Europe: European Commission President
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday said that a strong partnership with India is paramount for Europe. She also shared her delight at the launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
Taking to her social media ‘X’, Ursula tweeted, “Thank you for your skilful leadership of the G20, @narandramodi. A strong partnership with India is paramount for Europe. Glad to see our Trade & Tech Council in action. And to have launched with you an historic project, the India – Middle East – Europe Economic Corridor.”
European Commission President also highlighted the Free Trade Agreement and said, “We also look forward to progress on a Free Trade Agreement. This would unlock the great potential in our partnership.”
Have sent a message of unity: French President
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said the G20 Summit and the New Delhi Declaration had sent across a “message of unity”.
He further acknowledged that the G20 was not a forum for political discussions but that a vast majority of G20 countries condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Considering the current fragmented environment, India has done well as G20 president, Macron noted at a media briefing here after the Summit concluded.
Referring to the India-French strategic partnership, he said the relationship is much more than bilateral engagement and that the two countries have to work towards resisting the fragmentation of the world.
On Indo-French defence ties, Macron, without giving specific details, said additional contracts and procurements will follow in months and years to come.
Truly meaningful achievement: Japan PM
Calling the consensus on G20 Leaders’ declaration a “truly meaningful achievement”, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday said that the member countries were able to agree under the leadership of India as this year’s chair.
“Under the leadership of India as this year’s chair, we were able to agree on the G20 Leaders’ declaration which is a truly meaningful achievement,” said Kishida while addressing a press conference on the conclusion of the G20 Summit.
India’s G20 presidency has set path for world: World Bank president
World Bank president Ajay Banga on Sunday said that India in its G20 presidency has set a path for the world and lauded that the G20 declaration was anonymously adopted by all G20 nations.
“I consider the fact that there was a declaration, a tribute to the fact that the G20 leadership found a way to give and take and negotiate and find a right way to agree and set a path for the world. The world is watching, the G20 has got the developed world and the developing countries,” Banga said.
While speaking to ANI, Banga emphasised that challenges will always exist but India had shown the way by working out a consensus.

He added, “80% of the world’s GDP was sitting in the room. If they would not agree that would not give a good message. I actually compliment India, its leadership and the G 20 leaders for being able to make sure that a terrific declaration comes out. There will always be challenges.”
“No 20 countries will agree on everything. People will have to look after their national interests. But I am optimistic by the mood I saw in that room” he added.
‘G20 now at centre of global governance’: G20 Research Group
John Kirton, Director of the G20 Research Group, hailed the recently concluded G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi as a “significant step forward in global governance”.
In an analysis of the New Delhi Declaration, Kirton emphasised that the G20 has taken on a pivotal role in shaping global governance. The declaration’s breadth of coverage, spanning a wide spectrum of global issues, demonstrates the G20’s growing influence and capacity to address multifaceted challenges.
“I think it is a significant step forward in global governance. It shows that the G20 is now at the centre of global governance and put across a broader spectrum of issues than ever before and above all it can do that without the leaders of both Russia and China,” said Kirton.
One of the most notable aspects of the New Delhi summit was the absence of leaders from Russia and China, a development that has prompted discussions about the evolving dynamics of global leadership. According to Kirton, this absence did not detract from the G20’s effectiveness; instead, it showcased the organization’s adaptability and its ability to operate without key players traditionally seen as central to global leadership.
“PM Modi emerged as the leader of this summit and I think it is showing that he is really the leader of the global south, rather than those older countries that long claimed that mantle,” added Kirton.
G20 declaration a coup for PM Modi: World media
The G20 declaration, which hit snags on the language to describe the Ukraine war, amounted to a “coup” for host Prime Minister Narendra Modi though the final compromise statement reflected a stand far softer than those the US and its Western allies have adopted on Russia, the world media said on Sunday.
India managed to hammer out an unexpected consensus among the G20 countries on the contentious issue of Ukraine through a series of hectic negotiations with emerging economies such as Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia playing a leading role in reaching the breakthrough on the first day itself.
The New York Times said a painstakingly negotiated declaration Saturday evening at the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi omitted any condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or its brutal conduct of the war, instead lamenting the “suffering” of the Ukrainian people.

This year there were low expectations that the divided group would reach any sort of consensus with Ukraine, it said.
“The eventual compromise statement amounted to a coup for the summit’s host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but still reflected a position far softer (than) those the United States and its Western allies have adopted individually,” CNN commented.
The G20 summit in New Delhi was one of the most complicated in the history of the bloc, Russia’s G20 sherpa, Svetlana Lukash, said on Saturday.
“I believe that it was probably one of the most complicated G20 summits in the almost 15-year history of the forum’s existence. It took almost 20 days before the summit and five days here on the ground to agree on a declaration,” Lukash was quoted as saying by Russia’s official Tass news agency.
The NYT also highlighted a project announced during the summit to create a rail and shipping corridor linking India to the Middle East and, eventually, Europe.

The Delhi declaration appears designed to allow both the West and Russia to find positives. But in the process, it has used language that is not as strong in its condemnation of Moscow as it was in Bali last year, BBC said.
Ukraine – which took part in the Bali summit – was not invited this year, and its response to the declaration has been critical, it said.
South African media mostly focused on the African Union becoming a G20 member.
(With inputs from agencies)

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