Varanasi, Aug 25 (PTI) Deliberations on the draft of the G20 culture ministerial declaration being held here are moving towards a "full consensus", a top official said on Friday.

In response to a query during a press interaction here, Union Culture Secretary Govid Mohan also said that India is "very close" to signing an MoU with the US on the cultural property agreement.

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"The MoU will be signed very soon between the Ministry of Culture and its American counterpart...And, we have worked out all the modalities," he said.

Asked if any meetings are planned to take place on the sidelines, Mohan said bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meeting are lined up with the US, Brazil and Italy among others, however, no MoUs are to be signed at this forum.

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Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy earlier addressed the press briefing on the ongoing fourth and last meeting of the G20 Culture Working Group and the Culture Ministers' Meeting being hosted in the temple town.

The G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting is slated to be held here on Saturday. Several ministers and representatives from the G20 member nations and guest countries along with representatives of six international organisations will take part in deliberations.

The international organisations include UNESCO and ICOMOS.

"The fourth Culture Working Group Meeting that began yesterday came to an end today, and tomorrow the ministerial meeting will take place at the end of which a Varanasi Culture Ministers' Declaration will be issued," Mohan said.

"We are moving towards a full consensus," he said, adding that they have moved from draft zero to draft 4, ironing out disagreements.

"We are happy to inform that the ministerial declaration will be issued with consensus tomorrow. Only the Russia issues are there which are a bit outside the scope of this group, which are being resolved in the Sherpa group," he said in response to a query.

If that is kept separately, that is not the issue of the group, it's a "geopolitical issue". “But, issues related to culture, on those matters the declaration is to be issued with consensus," he added.

Our overarching theme was 'Culture Unites All' and that has been "observed in letter and spirit by all the 29 countries.

"We hope that tomorrow we will be able to have a similar consensus and will be able to issue a ministerial declaration that will be acceptable to all 29 countries," Mohan said.

Sources, however, said due to disagreements by "two members" over the Russia-Ukraine conflict issue, instead of a full-fledged declaration, it will be the G20 "Ministerial Outcome Document and Chair's Summary" as it was issued after the end of the G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting in Goa in June.

Reddy said it was fitting that the last meeting of the G20 Culture Working Group and the Culture Ministers' Meeting was being held in Varanasi, the cultural capital of India.

"It is a matter of great fortune for the government of India that this important event is being held in Varanasi, the ancient city that reflects the cultural soul and ethos of India," he told reporters.

In response to a query, he also said that about 400 artefacts have been repatriated to India or in the process, since 2014.

Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi said the G20 event was chosen to be hosted in Varanasi because of its cultural milieu, timeless heritage and legacy of spirituality.

Meanwhile, the city and its ghats have been spruced up for the mega G20 event.

A performance by the G20 Global Orchestra, titled 'Sur Vasudha', celebrating the rich musical knowledge and heritage of the member nations of the bloc and invitee countries will be presented in the temple town on Saturday evening, Culture Secretary Mohan said.

Artistes from 29 countries -- one each from G20 member nations and nine invitee countries -- will perform with traditional instruments in the special orchestra, he added.

Later in the evening, delegates also witnessed the famous 'Ganga Aarti' of Varanasi held on its ghats aboard a river cruise.

Delegates and international experts have gathered in the temple town for the fourth round of the Culture Working Group, which aims to arrive at "actionable outcomes" while positioning culture at the heart of policymaking.

The Culture Working Group's first meeting was held in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, followed by two more in Odisha's Bhubaneswar and Hampi in Karnataka.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)