G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, in an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the success of G20 summit in New Delhi, saying he could “pull it off because of the PM’s credibility".
“As a team we managed it and it was possible because of India’s great stature today. PM Modi’s credibility in democracy is so high…We had good negotiators. Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and India, when we get together, we bring a lot of power. As we went along, Saudi, Turkey, Argentina, Mexico joined us to say that G20 will be a voice of consensus. In the final stages, it went up and down at least 15 times. I give a lot of credit to the stature of India and PM Modi. His personal credibility was so high, I could pull it off."
When asked if there were last-minute negotiations, he said, “We got into negotiations till 11.30pm the previous night of the summit. We took it to brinkmanship. But the important thing is we are all working for the country. We are working essentially to ensure that India wins."
Well done @amitabhk87! Looks lile the IFS lost an ace diplomat when you opted for the IAS! "Negotiated with Russia, China, only last night got final draft," says India's G20 Sherpa on 'Delhi Declaration' consensus. A proud moment for India at G20! https://t.co/9M0ki7appY— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 9, 2023
Lauding his team, Kant said, “We had Joint Secretary K Nagraj Naidu, who has world-class drafting ability. Joint Secretary Enam Gambhir’s ability, enthusiasm and ability is top class. Brazilian, South African and Indonesian Sherpas, we all worked together."
He concluded: “All four PMs’ stature comes into play. We made sure it was a G20 of consensus. It is a big win for developing countries. It is a win for multilateralism. It is a voice of the global south. It is a call for peace in many ways."
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