In the current battle between democracies and authoritarian regimes, it was necessary to give Africa its voice in the G-20, with the hope that it will soon be invited to the G-7 as a permanent member. Analysis of Fez Shenoy
The G20 (G20) Heads of State Summit in Delhi was historic and captivating. An agreement on the joint statement was not reached until the last minute. While the Indian Sherpa Amitabh Kant The Indian Prime Minister finally informed reporters Narendra Modi He had to personally step in to obtain unanimous approval from Russia and China for the declaration.
The summit was also historic because it is the last summit of the Group of Twenty (G20). Thanks to India’s efforts, the African Union is now a permanent member of the group, bringing the number to 21 members, including the Global South. Politically, this is a very important achievement because it brings Africa as a continent to the table and gives the African Union the same political status that the European Union enjoys. In the current battle between democracies and authoritarian regimes, it was necessary to give Africa its voice in the G20, with the hope that it would soon be invited to the G7 as a permanent member.
New Delhi’s announcement also brought India’s leadership in the Global South to the fore. India’s focus was on issuing a comprehensive statement, and although there was no condemnation of Russia in the closing statement, there was language condemning aggression by states aimed at taking over other people’s lands. Solidarity and concern about the war in Ukraine were also expressed, but this was harshly criticized by the Ukrainian government who wanted to see strong condemnation from Russia.
The focus of the G-20 was the Global South, and eventually an alliance was declared at odds with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) was announced on the sidelines of the broader Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) co-chaired by President Joe Biden Prime Minister Modi.
Imec is creating a data, rail and pipeline corridor between India and Europe through the Middle East with support from Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The leaders of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the United States and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding announcing the landmark project. “The India-Middle East economic corridor will revive the ancient Red Sea route that connected Roman Egypt with Kerala and Gujarat,” he says. William Dalrymple, a prominent historian. While Israel was not present at the G20 summit, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Hold a detailed press conference to explain and support IMEC. “Israel is at the center of an unprecedented international project that will connect infrastructure from Asia to Europe,” he said.
Italy was also the only European country to sign up as a founding member of the Global Biofuels Alliance launched during the G20. Singapore, Bangladesh, Italy, the US, Brazil, Argentina, Mauritius and the UAE are founding members along with India which will focus on promoting biofuels as a means to a zero-carbon economy.
As leaders of the three current and upcoming G20 summits, the leaders of India, Brazil, South Africa and the United States issued a joint declaration in which they pledged to build on the historic progress achieved by India’s G20 presidency to address global challenges. The perspective of this Joint Declaration has strengthened the existing trilateral partnership between India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) in the presence of the United States, and has also exposed cracks in the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). At the recent BRICS summit hosted in Johannesburg, India was forced to negotiate seriously to contain the BRICS expansion, something that China exerted strong pressure to achieve. China’s intentions were to develop the BRICS as an alternative to the G7, as it was not invited.
India has achieved the desired results in the Final Declaration on Combating Terrorism, Money Laundering and All Forms of Racial and Religious Discrimination. This language was important in confronting cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
While India under Modi was the big winner, it has finally shown its foreign policy acumen despite the absence of the Chinese Xi Jinping And Russian Russian President Vladimir PutinPresident Joe Biden and the Prime Minister Georgia Meloni Important results were achieved through this summit. Biden had a long-awaited rapprochement with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Mohammed bin Salman led the initial announcement of the India-Middle East corridor. Since this corridor passes through Jordan and Israel, it was also a quiet acknowledgment that Saudi-Israeli relations are about to be formalized, a goal that Biden has worked hard to achieve and remains committed to.
With the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (PGII), Biden is concretely addressing China’s Belt and Road Initiative, bringing together allies of the broader Indo-Mediterranean region under one umbrella. IMEC brings together the United States’ most powerful allies in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe under a single US-led trade alliance.
Prime Minister Meloni, bilateral with the Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang This was the opportunity to inform him of Italy’s intention not to renew and withdraw from the Memorandum of Understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative. Therefore, Italian participation in IMEC is considered a victory. The final European leg of IMEC, previously scheduled to take place in Greece, will now likely move to Italy. With Italy and India already sharing the Blue-Raman high-speed data cable and MSC’s 19-day freight short sea route, Italy will play a key role not only in biofuel development but also in gas pipelines, hydrogen transportation, and energy security. and carbon transfer and perhaps in the development of transcontinental railways. Apart from the economic importance of these various programmes, this leads to the extension of Meloni’s “Mattie Plan” to the coasts of India. Italy becomes the crossroads of Europe, and Israel becomes the crossroads of the Middle East for data, energy and trade from India to Europe.
The AU’s accession to the G20 also provides an opportunity for Meloni’s agenda for the next G7 in 2024 to continue India’s efforts. Meloni has placed Africa at the center of his international strategy. The language on migration in the G20 declaration was consistent with the conclusions of the International Conference on Development and Migration hosted by Meloni in July 2023. Italy was an early supporter of the initiative to permanently include the African Union in the G20.
All the leaders attending the G20 summit this morning concluded their visit to Delhi by praising their efforts Mahatma Gandhi At his memorial in Rajghat. This was the most serious moment for the Indian leadership, given its commitment to peace and non-violence. At this G20 summit, India remained true to its slogan ‘Vasudhaeva Kutumbakam’. In those two days, the world was one family.
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