India played essential role in negotiating G20 Summit declaration: White House

G20 Summit: World leaders met earlier this week in Indonesia's Bali where the Ukraine war remained a critical issue.

India played an essential role in negotiating the G20 Summit declaration, the White House’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in her latest press briefing, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “made it clear that today's era must not be of war” as she referred to the Ukraine-Russia conflict that escalated in February this year. The two-day G20 summit - that concluded earlier this week in Indonesia’s Bali - saw the presence of top world leaders including United States President Joe Biden, the United Kingdom’s Rishi Sunak among others. The Ukraine war was one of the most crucial talking points.

PM Modi and US Prez Biden also met Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. (Arindam Bagchi | Twitter)

“We had a successful G20 leaders’ Summit,” Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Friday (local time) as she further said that India and the US are working closely on food and energy issues among others. "We addressed current food and energy security challenges and efforts of building a resilient global economy. PM Modi's relationship was critical to this outcome. We look forward to supporting India's G20 presidency next year," she stressed.

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PM Modi's 'no war' message resonated in the G20 summit declaration. In a joint declaration following the summit, the leaders deplored in "the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine" and demanded "its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine." "Recognizing that the G20 is not the forum to resolve security issues, we acknowledge that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy," the statement read.

At the summit, PM Modi had stressed: “I've repeatedly said we've to find a way to return to the path of ceasefire and diplomacy in Ukraine. Over the past century, the World War-2 wreaked havoc in the world. After that leaders of that time made a serious effort to take the path of peace. Now it's our turn."

Meanwhile, India presides over the G20 presidency from December 1. In the joint declaration, the G20 members also underlined: "We look forward to meeting again in India in 2023, in Brazil in 2024 and in South Africa in 2025."

(With inputs from ANI)