G20 summit: Diplomats hail ‘Chandrayaan moment’ for Indian diplomacy
G20 summit in Delhi was a “Chandrayaan landing moment” for the Indian Foreign Service as New Delhi converted a diplomatic event into “a people’s movement,” said Muktesh Pardeshi, Special Secretary in charge of summit operations, and eminent diplomats who participated in a post-summit conference.
“India converted a diplomatic event into a people’s movement. It was a Chandrayaan landing moment for the foreign service,” said Pardeshi at a panel discussion on key outcomes of the September 9-10 G20 summit in New Delhi.
“G20 has touched the hearts of people — that’s the real success of our Presidency,” said Mr Pardeshi, who played a pivotal role in organising around 200 preparatory meetings in the run-up to the New Delhi summit.
“The transformative journey, exemplified by the G20 presidency, transcended the confines of a diplomatic event.
It evolved into a nationwide movement, leaving an indelible mark on the Indian psyche and population,” he said.
The panel discussion, titled, “India’s G20 Presidency: Rules-based Global Order and The Road Ahead,” was organised by ICentre for Global India Insights (CGII), a think tank focused on global affairs, here last week.
“The Delhi Declaration was adopted on the first day which allowed us to focus on the One Future Session on the final day. It was unprecedented in terms of geographical coverage and number of meetings,” said Pardeshi.
South Africa’s High Commissioner to India Joel Sibusiso Ndebele hailed India’s G20 presidency and the New Delhi summit for the inclusion of Africa in the G20 and putting the interests of the Global South on the G20 agenda.
