Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday praised Indian G20 Minister Sherpa Amitabh Kant for his “200 hours of non-stop negotiations” to reach a consensus on the G20 declaration adopted at the leaders’ summit here.
In a post on website India on the “Delhi Declaration” consensus. It is a proud moment for India in the G20!”
according to Hindustan Times newspaper, Citing media reports, India distributed the final draft to G20 members on Friday evening, saying that if the group’s leaders did not agree to it, there would be no announcement.
Speaking about the announcement, Amitabh Kant said that the most complex part of the entire G20 summit was reaching consensus on the geopolitical items which took more than 200 hours of continuous negotiations.
“The most complex part of the entire G20 was reaching consensus on the geopolitical pieces (Russia and Ukraine). This was done over 200 hours of continuous negotiations, 300 bilateral meetings, and 15 drafts. In this, I was greatly assisted by two officers illustrious,” wrote Kant in X.
The G20 leaders, who met in New Delhi, unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration. This declaration, according to the Indian G20 Sherpa, places a strong focus on several key priorities.
These include promoting strong and sustainable economic growth, accelerating progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, establishing a Green Development Charter to promote environmental sustainability, and revitalizing the spirit of multilateralism.
The G20 announcement has been hailed as historic and groundbreaking. Notably, it received unanimous consensus on all fronts, including developmental and geopolitical issues.
Kant highlighted the magnitude of this achievement, stressing the pivotal role played by Prime Minister Modi in shaping the G20 agenda.
He pointed out that India’s G20 presidency was characterized by unparalleled ambition, which was clearly demonstrated in 112 presidential outcomes and documents, which led to a tripling of the substantive output compared to previous presidencies.