G20 Summit concludes in Delhi; India hands over gavel to Brazil

NEW DELHI: The two-day G20 summit concludes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the ceremonial gavel to the Brazilian President. He also recommended holding the G20 virtual summit in November to assess the actions taken by the decisions of the G20.

Important decisions were discussed at the summit, including women's empowerment and the spread of digital technology. On the concluding day, the leaders of the G20 summit came together at Raj Ghat to pay their respects to Mahatma Gandhi. India made a joint statement without blaming Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. The G20 granted permanent membership to the African Union in recognition of developing nations. The G20 summit witnessed a grand diplomatic success for India yesterday and today.

India's efforts to avoid mentioning Russia in a joint declaration against the United States, the European Union and other Western powers over its invasion of Ukraine have seen success. The declaration document conveys an anti-war message without blaming Russia, India's long-time friend. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said that Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil and other countries interested in the markets of developing countries have supported India to build a consensus. The US and other NATO countries have also loosened up after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's direct interventions.

There was no consensus on the Ukraine issue at Sherpa meetings before the summit. It was a crisis between China and Russia. In this regard, a consensus was reached within hours after India distributed the revised declaration document to the member states yesterday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 'One Family' session later in the afternoon announced the consensus and approval of the summit.