Fellow G-20 countries praised India's success in reaching an agreement on a joint communiqué, which had been in doubt just days before world leaders gathered in New Delhi for their most important annual diplomatic event. Apart from reaching an agreement on Russia's war in Ukraine, the most difficult issue, they also elevated the African Union to full G-20 membership and took action on emerging market priorities such as climate change and debt sustainability.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi positioned his country as well-positioned to bridge gaps in the Group of 20 top economies and solve global problems, but many were sceptical ahead of the weekend's summit given the bloc's deep divisions over Russia's war in Ukraine.
He was able to allay those fears by announcing a unanimous final agreement a day before the G20 summit ended on Sunday, which included language on the European war that both Russia and China agreed to.
Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, stated that the group agreed on a “very strong” message. Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany called it a “success of Indian diplomacy,” adding that “many did not think that would be possible beforehand.” Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India's foreign minister, said the declaration “responds to the situation as it stands today.”
The statement was softer than last year's G20 communiqué and did not directly condemn Moscow. It instead cited a United Nations charter, which states that “all states must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial gains against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state.”
However, all countries agreed on the declaration, giving India diplomatic success. “This is the first declaration without a single footnote or a chair's summary,” said India's top G20 negotiator, Amitabh Kant. Some analysts saw the agreement as a victory for Russia, while others saw it as a victory for the West. However, most agreed that it was a foreign policy victory for Modi as he seeks to increase India's influence on the global stage. “India's statement embodies the voice of the emerging Global South,” said Derek Grossman, an Indo-Pacific analyst at the RAND Corporation. “That is a coup for New Delhi, particularly in the context of strategic competition with Beijing, and it will help it to become the leader of this bloc.”
Modi also announced at the summit that the group had agreed to add the African Union as a permanent member and made progress on other key issues affecting developing countries in the Global South. “We are seeing the G20 finally come into its own as a truly global entity, and emerging from the shadow of the G7,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Center's South Asia Institute. “It's emerging as a successful case study of Western and non-Western powers, as well as the Global South, working together to pursue shared goals,” he says. The summit took place at a time when Russia and China are attempting to place greater emphasis on the more like-minded BRICS group – — made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — which agreed at its summit last month to expand with six new members. Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's leader Xi Jinping skipped the G20 summit this year.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who replaced Putin at the summit, told reporters that the “G20 is in crisis” and compared India's “absolute success” to “internal reform.” “This was manifested in the significant activation of Group of 20 members from the Global South, led by India, who very clearly and persistently sought to take their interests into account,” Lavrov said. Beijing has been attempting to unite the Global South around a China-centric bloc, and Xi's absence from the meetings allowed Modi and others to “promote their own ideas and goals,” according to Michael Schuman, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub. Modi emerged as “probably the summit's big winner” thanks to his diplomatic approach and someone who is becoming an increasingly important player in international affairs, he said.
Prior to the summit, Modi argued that developing countries should have a greater say, citing the fact that they are disproportionately affected by many crises such as climate change, food shortages, and rising energy prices.
Many believe that India has laid the groundwork for Brazil and South Africa, both powerful members of the Global South, to follow suit as they take over the G20 presidency for the next two years.
