200 hours of negotiations, 300 bilateral meetings... How India achieved consensus on Ukraine at G20

200 hours of non-stop negotiations, 300 bilateral meetings and 15 drafts went into achieving consensus on the Ukraine conflict, paving the way for G 20's adoption of New Delhi declaration. This was shared by G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant as he appreciated two members of his team for their tireless work during the summit.  

India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Sunday that it took a team of Indian diplomats more than 200 hours of nonstop deliberation to get agreement on the G20 declaration that was accepted at the Leaders' Summit.

This was shared by G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant as he appreciated two members of his team for their tireless work during the summit. The diplomatic team, which included joint secretary K Nagraj Naidu and Eenam Gambhir, conducted 300 bilateral talks and shared 15 drafts with their counterparts to forge an agreement that was reached on the first day of the G20 Leaders Summit.

“The most complex part of the entire G20 was to bring consensus on the geopolitical paras (Russia-Ukraine). This was done over 200 hours of non-stop negotiations, 300 bilateral meetings, 15 drafts,” Kant said.

Kant claimed that Naidu and Gambhir considerably aided him in his endeavours. India was able to negotiate an unexpected agreement on the divisive topic among the G20 nations, with developing markets like Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia playing a key part in the breakthrough.

The G20's adoption of New Delhi declaration is being seen as a huge win for India against the backdrop of the challenges in reaching consensus due to the Ukraine conflict and differences over tackling climate change. The G20 Sherpa has received all-round praise for his and his team's work behind building consensus on contentious issues such as Ukraine.

Among those who praised him was senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor. Tharoor, who has earlier served as under secretary general at United Nations, had words of appreciation for Kant and said this is a proud moment for India.