“Very satisfactory G20 declaration…”: French diplomatic sources explain wording on Russia-Ukraine war

New Delhi: The G20 declaration is very satisfactory with the Indian presidency keen to see that a language of consensus emerges, French diplomatic sources said on Saturday and noted that India has assumed a kind of power to bring countries together with not many countries being in a position to negotiate as New Delhi has done.

The French diplomatic sources said that to achieve a language of consensus on a subject as divisive as the Ukraine conflict, they had to be able to reaffirm what was said in the Bali G20 summit, which was done by recalling the Bali conversation.

“We had to refer to the United Nations texts, which are indeed mentioned and then we had to affirm a few obvious points for us, but which are not necessarily obvious for everyone, i.e. that a war of territorial conquest is unacceptable, that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states must be respected, and that a just and lasting peace must respect these principles,” a source said.

The French diplomatic sources said all this is well incorporated in the text and, as was their main objective at this summit, “enables us to look ahead to what should be the solution for a just and lasting peace at the end of the war in Ukraine”.

The statement says that all states must refrain from conquering territories by force. The diplomatic sources said Russia is the only country to have done so and all this helps to build consensus for the future. The New Delhi declaration was adopted earlier in the day at the G20 Summit being held in the national capital on September 9 and 10.   

The sources said India has assumed “a kind of power and an ability to bring countries together” and “not many countries are in a position to negotiate as India has done, i.e. to take on board comments from everyone and work out a compromise proposal”.  This is something important, they added.

The New Delhi G20 declaration said that in line with the UN Charter, all states must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state and that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible.

 “Concerning the war in Ukraine, while recalling the discussion in Bali, we reiterated our national positions and resolutions adopted at the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly (A/RES/ES-11/1 and A/RES/ES-11/6) and underscored that all states must act in a manner consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in its entirety,” it said.

“Reaffirming that the G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation, and recognizing that while the G20 is not the platform to resolve geopolitical and security issues, we acknowledge that these issues can have significant consequences for the global economy,” it added.

The G20 members appreciated the efforts of Türkiye and UN-brokered Istanbul Agreements consisting  of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Russian Federation and the Secretariat of the United Nations on Promoting Russian Food Products and Fertilizers to the World Markets and the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports (Black Sea Initiative), and called for their full, timely and effective implementation to ensure the immediate and unimpeded deliveries of grain, foodstuffs, and fertilizers/inputs from the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

“This is necessary to meet the demand in developing and least developed countries, particularly those in Africa.
The leaders highlighted the human suffering and negative added impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security, supply chains, macro-financial stability, inflation and growth, which has complicated the policy environment for countries, especially developing and least developed countries which are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic disruption which has derailed progress towards the SDGs. There were different views and assessments of the situation, the declaration said.

“We call on all states to uphold the principles of international law including territorial integrity and sovereignty, international humanitarian law, and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability. The peaceful resolution of conflicts and efforts to address crises as well as diplomacy and dialogue are critical.

"We will unite in our endeavour to address the adverse impact of the war on the global economy and welcome all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace in Ukraine that will uphold all the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter for the promotion of peaceful, friendly, and good neighbourly relations among nations in the spirit of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future,’” it said.

“Today’s era must not be of war,” the declaration added. (ANI)