G20 Concludes New Delhi Summit... Adopts Joint Declaration

Overcoming Intercountry Differences to Reach Agreement on the Russia-Ukraine War

The Group of Twenty (G20) summit concluded after a two-day schedule. Although there were disagreements among countries regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, a compromise was reached through mediation by India and Brazil, and related content was included in the joint declaration.

The G20 leaders held the summit in New Delhi, India, for two days starting on the 9th (local time) and concluded the event. On the first day of the meeting, discussions were held under the themes of "One Earth" and "One Family," followed by a visit to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Park, honoring the Father of the Nation of India, and then continuing discussions under the theme of "One Future" in the final session. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, the chair country of this year's G20, handed over the chairmanship to Brazil, the next chair country, during the final session.

The G20 Summit held on the 10th (local time) at the International Exhibition Center in New Delhi, India [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to AFP, President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva said in his speech that day, "Geopolitical issues should not divert the G20 agenda," adding, "We are not interested in a divided G20. We want peace and cooperation instead of conflict." This remark was aimed at the confrontation over how to reflect the mentions made by Western countries including the United States and Russia and China regarding the Russia-Ukraine war in the joint declaration at this New Delhi summit.

The joint declaration did not contain direct references to the Russia-Ukraine war. Instead, it included expressions that all member countries must comply with the UN Charter and refrain from the threat of force to pursue territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence of any country. It is known that India actively mediated to include such content, and Brazil also cooperated.

Meanwhile, on the first day of the summit, the African Union (AU), with a population of 1.4 billion, was admitted to the G20. The G20 now has a second regional organization member after the European Union (EU). Although concerns arose about the event's progress due to the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping at this meeting, unexpectedly, a joint declaration was produced, yielding results.