Delhi was all set for the G20 summit, leaders from across the world had arrived and the Centre’s bureaucratic machinery was working overtime to ensure a smooth performance. But the success of the summit depended on one question: would there be unanimity in the leaders’ declaration? And this was the question that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked Sherpa Amitabh Kant an hour before the start of the summit.
Mr Kant has described this important conversation with the Prime Minister on the morning of September 9, 2023, in his book, “How India Scaled Mount G20: The Inside Story of the G20 Presidency” (Rupa Publications). The Prime Minister had reached Bharat Mandapam to take stock of the preparations.
“I had to brief him about our progress so far. When he asked about the leaders’ declaration, I outlined the conflict between the US and China and informed him that the NDLD (New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration) “has still not been finalized.” News agency PTI has reported that Kant has written in his book.
“He paused for a moment and wondered why bilateral issues were being raised in a multilateral meeting, before replying that he did not want to get into processes or procedures, but would like to see the outcome – consensus – very soon. They were hopeful that Sherpa would navigate and secure a final agreement,” he added.
The book details the difficult work that brought the summit to fruition.
The Prime Minister had announced the 37-page declaration at the beginning of the second session on the opening day of the summit and the subsequent consensus on its adoption.
Mr Kant has detailed in his book how New Delhi managed to deal with geopolitical currents and bilateral issues to reach this consensus.
He writes, “After 300 hours of negotiations in more than 250 bilateral meetings the text faced constant amendments and objections. The weight and seriousness of the negotiations was felt by all participants, but the search for a mutually agreed outcome still eluded.” “Seemed out of reach.” in the book.
He wrote that the Prime Minister was “well aware” of the risks involved and had asked for regular briefings. “He asked me to send urgent situation reports every two hours, a task that required extreme multitasking and quick analysis. This constant communication kept PM Modi informed, but also motivated us to action, which The talks helped us plan and take stock of our progress,” he adds.
Shri Kant writes that Russia had insisted that the word ‘sanction’ be included in the declaration. Extensive discussions were held with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin to persuade him to reconsider.
“The risk was too great, because refusing to compromise would have isolated Russia with a 19-1 vote against it. We ultimately had to tell Russia that it was not possible and that other countries would not accept it. Mr. Kant writes, “Russia said that its insistence on this matter put significant pressure on India and made it impossible for us to proceed.”
The G20 Sherpa has said that throughout the talks the G7 countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the US – put pressure on India to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but India’s stance was to limit the guest list. Had to do. G20 leaders.
“On the advice of Dr. Jaishankar, I had to inform the Russian negotiator that if he did not agree, the first speaker after PM Modi’s speech would be Zelensky. This bold and assertive negotiation strategy ultimately worked and Russia caved in,” Shri Kant writes.
There was another obstacle. Mr Kant writes that the head of the Chinese team pointed to a bilateral challenge with the US, arising from a part of the announcement that said the 2026 G20 summit would be held in the US.
The Chinese Sherpas explained that the US would not grant them visas, even to their governor in Hong Kong, writes Mr Kant. He says that unless he gets a written guarantee that he will be issued a visa, he will not agree to the geopolitical provisions.
The leaders’ meeting began at 9 am and Mr Kant held parallel talks from 9.30 am to 11.30 am in the room adjacent to the Leaders Hall.
“I worked with (US Sherpa Mike) Pyle and Li (Chinese team chief Kexin) to draft the details of the letter. We chose to use the word ‘ensure’ rather than ‘guarantee’. By the afternoon, we had written this bilateral The matter was resolved successfully, even though it was technically outside the scope of India’s role as G20 chair, he says, ultimately involving all countries.
Mr Kant writes that building consensus on the first day of the summit was “no small feat” and cites the example of the 2022 Bali SUBMIT, where negotiations on the declaration text dragged on until the final hours.
