Ajay Banga, the head of the World Bank, who reached India for the G20 Summit in New Delhi, has praised India and said, "India has done a great job by bringing all communities together besides building its brand image at the mega event".
While speaking to the media on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in the national capital, Banga, an Indian-born American business executive, who is currently the president of the World Bank Group, said, "The New Delhi Declaration was great as India has brought everyone together and it has really improved India's standing in the world."
India has shown a right path to the world: Banga
Further, during the conversation, he affirmed that New Delhi has shown a path to the world. "I want to thank (G20 Sherpa) Amitabh Kant for negotiating such a tough task. The world is watching, the G20 has got the developed world and the developing countries," he added in response to media queries.
"Almost 80 per cent of the world's GDP was sitting in the room. If they would not agree that would not give a good message. I actually compliment India, its leadership and the G20 leaders for being able to make sure that a terrific declaration comes out. There will always be challenges," said Banga.
"No 20 nations will agree on everything. People will have to look after their national interests. But I am optimistic by the mood I saw in that room" he added.
India held over 200 hours of negotiations: G20 Sherpa
It is worth mentioning Russia had earlier warned to reject the Declaration if any wording on 'Ukraine war' would be added to the draft. This prompted serious issues among the G20 members, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar revealed during a press conference on Saturday, September 9.
Besides, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, while explaining the Declaration on Saturday, asserted all countries given 100 per cent consensus on the G20 Leaders' Declaration, however, he claimed it was not leisurely to negotiate with the countries.
According to Kant, it was the most complex part of the entire summit where the leaders initially did not agree on the Ukraine war. He said it took over 200 hours of non-stop negotiations to convince the leaders. Besides, Kant also claimed that the officials had held over 300 bilateral meetings and 15 drafts.
"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, and 15 drafts," he said.
During the presser, Kant also revealed the names of the two "brilliant officers" - Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur, IFS and Joint Secretary G20, and Eenam Gambhir, a diplomat - who greatly assisted him during the negotiations.
Also Read: Leaders negotiated on AU inclusion, G20 Declaration till the last minute, says Shringla
