India's G20 presidency 'exemplary': Former deputy NSA Pankaj Saran

India's G20 presidency has been ''exemplary'' as it successfully navigated the global faultlines, especially between the G7 and Russia on the Ukraine crisis, and managed to garner unanimous support in bringing the African Union as a permanent member of the bloc, strategic affairs expert Pankaj Saran said on Monday.

The former deputy national security advisor (NSA) described the G20's New Delhi joint declaration as a ''big achievement'' as India built consensus on the Ukraine conflict without a single dissenting note when the grouping was sharply divided over it.

The G20 joint declaration unveiled on September 9 was seen as a significant diplomatic victory for India as it pulled off a breakthrough on the contentious issue amid apprehensions that the summit may not be able to release the document in view of sharp differences on the matter.

''The way we managed to bring both sides together, particularly the Americans and the Europeans on the one side and the Russians on the other side was remarkable,'' Saran told PTI Videos.

He further added: ''It was a consensus. There were no footnotes, there were no caveats. It was a clean statement presenting the G20's position on the Ukraine conflict.'' ''And I think it was a big achievement and satisfying everyone -- the Americans, the Europeans, the Russians and the Global South,'' he said.

Saran, a former Indian ambassador to Russia, said India took the charge as the G20 president at a time when the world was going through a difficult period and it did well in navigating the challenges.

''The manner in which we navigated the global faultlines -- between the West, G7 and Russia, between the North and the South -- all this was a great example of Indian diplomacy and the political leadership,'' he said.

''I think the G20 presidency which India held was conducted in an exemplary manner because there was a very difficult global situation that we faced,'' he said.

Saran also hailed India's G20 presidency for building support in including the African Union as a permanent member of the grouping.

''The African Union represents 54 countries. The African continent has historically been very much part of India's strategic vision for the entire world,'' he said.

''The fact that India took the initiative to get the African Union's voice into the G20 is a major achievement and the African Union will always remember that it was G20's New Delhi summit which contributed and enabled them to come into the G20 just as EU has always been part of the G20,'' Saran said.

''The inclusion is a great achievement. The fact that India was able to create consensus in the G20 that the African Union must be inside the room is a great achievement. And it is something which will be remembered for many many years and it will be part of the historical record,'' he said.

As the G20 president, India has been focusing on issues like inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience, and equitable global health access with an aim to benefit the Global South or the developing countries.

In January, India hosted the Voice of the Global South Summit with an aim to highlight the problems and challenges facing the developing countries.

The joint leaders' declaration featured a lot of key issues affecting the Global South.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)