Home » Prime Minister Modi’s leadership key to securing consensus at G20 Summit, reveals Amitabh Kant’s book

Prime Minister Modi’s leadership key to securing consensus at G20 Summit, reveals Amitabh Kant’s book

The successful finalization of the declaration on the first day of the summit was a major achievement, as the previous year’s Bali summit had seen negotiations stretch until the last minute.

by Team Theorist
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Delhi was fully prepared for the G20 summit, with world leaders flying in and the government’s machinery working tirelessly behind the scenes. However, the true measure of success hinged on one crucial aspect: would the Leaders’ Declaration be agreed upon? This was the critical question Prime Minister Narendra Modi posed to Sherpa Amitabh Kant just an hour before the summit’s commencement, as shared in Kant’s new book, How India Scaled Mt G20: The Inside Story of the G20 Presidency.

Kant, who played a pivotal role in the summit’s success, recounts the moment in his book, revealing how PM Modi’s focused approach shaped the summit’s outcomes. On September 9, 2023, as the Prime Minister arrived at Bharat Mandapam to review the preparations, he was briefed about the ongoing tensions between the US and China and the unresolved status of the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD). Modi, however, showed little concern for the intricate procedural details. Instead, he made it clear that he was only interested in the result—a consensus—and expected the Sherpa to navigate the negotiations and finalize the agreement swiftly.

The book details the arduous process behind securing the consensus, including 300 hours of negotiations and over 250 bilateral meetings. Despite constant revisions and objections, the team worked relentlessly to craft a declaration that was acceptable to all. In his book, Kant highlights the frequent communication with the Prime Minister, who was “acutely aware” of the stakes and requested regular updates. Modi’s insistence on receiving situation reports every two hours kept the pressure on the negotiating team and ensured swift actions were taken.

Also read: ‘Peace, stability, progress’: PM Modi’s 3 points while meeting with Xi Jinping on sidelines of BRICS Summit 2024

The negotiations were not without their challenges. Russia, for example, insisted on including the word “sanction” in the declaration. After intense discussions with Russia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Pankin, India had to firmly tell Russia that its demands could not be accommodated. The negotiations with Russia were critical, as any failure to reach a compromise would have left the country isolated in the final vote.

In addition, G7 nations, including the US, Canada, and the UK, exerted pressure on India to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the summit. Despite this, India stuck to its stance of restricting the guest list to G20 leaders. Kant describes how, with the advice of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, he successfully negotiated a compromise with Russia by threatening that Zelenskyy would be the first speaker following PM Modi’s address, which led to Russia relenting.

Another significant hurdle arose over a bilateral issue between China and the US. The Chinese Sherpa demanded assurances regarding visa issuance for Chinese officials, particularly in light of the 2026 G20 summit being hosted in the US. Kant, along with the US and Chinese Sherpas, worked out a solution by substituting the word “guarantee” with “ensure,” which satisfied China’s concerns and cleared the way for a final agreement.

The successful finalization of the declaration on the first day of the summit was a major achievement, as the previous year’s Bali summit had seen negotiations stretch until the last minute. The work that went into securing this consensus, Kant notes, underscores the complexity and challenges involved in managing such a significant international event.

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