All states must uphold territorial integrity, says New Delhi G20 Declaration

Stressing that “today’s era must not be of war”, the New Delhi Declaration of G20 countries on Saturday called on all states to uphold the principles of international law including territorial integrity and sovereignty and said that peaceful resolution of conflicts as well as diplomacy and dialogue are critical in the new world order. “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 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. The New Delhi Declaration, the adoption of which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the start of the second session of the G20 Leaders’ Summit under India’s Presidency, 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. “The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,” it added. Reaffirming that the G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation, and recognising that while the G20 is not the platform to resolve geopolitical and security issues, the G20 leaders acknowledged that these issues can have significant consequences for the global economy. “We 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,” it underlined. The declaration further said, “We appreciate the efforts of Turkiye 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).” It 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,” it added. Emphasising the importance of sustaining food and energy security, the G20 leaders called for the “cessation of military destruction or other attacks on relevant infrastructure”. “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,” it said.