Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar has arrived in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session and hold a host of bilateral and multilateral meetings with partner countries, including one of Quad countries.
In all, Jaishankar will hold more than 50 official engagements during his 11-day visit to the United States during 18-28 September.
"Delighted to welcome our External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar who is now here to attend the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly. He will co-host and participate in several bilateral, plurilateral, multilateral meetings during this hectic week," said India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj on Twitter.
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Counter-terrorism, peacekeeping, reformed multilateralism, climate action and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines will be among the key focus areas for India during the high-level UNGA session that begins this week in New York.
Jaishankar will address world leaders from the UNGA podium on September 24, after a packed week of more than 50 official engagements including bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral meetings at the high-level session and on the sidelines.
Jaishankar's first day of engagements will include several bilateral meetings, including with counterparts from Albania, Malta, Egypt and Indonesia as well as President of the 77th UNGA Session Csaba Korosi. He will also headline the France–India–UAE trilateral.
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India's Permanent Mission to the UN had said in a video posted on Twitter that the five S’s -Samman (Respect), Samvad (Dialogue), Sahyog (Cooperation), Shanti (Peace) and Samriddhi (Prosperity)- set out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be India's "guiding light" in its approach to the 77th session of the General Assembly.
It said India will continue to showcase commitments and achievements in women-led development, particularly women’s leadership and political participation at the grassroots level, attach greater prominence to issues relating to counter-terrorism and engage substantively in matters relating to peacekeeping as a major troop contributing country.
It will also focus on reformed multilateralism, commitment to climate action, equitable, affordable access to vaccines and strengthen engagement with fellow developing countries through the India-UN Development Partnership Fund and IBSA Fund in the spirit of South-South cooperation.
"India's priorities during 77th UNGA will also be guided by its core foreign policy objectives, including supporting and enhancing overall domestic socio-economic growth and strengthening security in its immediate neighborhood, and leading collective global action, in line with the vision" of Modi, the video said.
Jaishankar's US visit from September 18-28 will also include a trip to Washington DC after the UNGA session. While in New York, he will meet with UN Secretary General António Guterres.
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that in keeping with India’s strong commitment to reformed multilateralism, Jaishankar will be hosting a Ministerial meeting of the G4 (India, Brazil, Japan, Germany), as well as participate at the High Level Meeting of the L.69 Group on "Reinvigorating Multilateralism and Achieving Comprehensive Reform of the UN Security Council”.
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The L.69 Group consists of developing countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean and Small Island Developing States, focused on reforms of the UN Security Council.
During the visit, Jaishankar would also participate in plurilateral meetings of the Quad, IBSA, BRICS, India – Presidency Pro Tempore CELAC, India-CARICOM and other trilateral formats, such as India-France-Australia, India-France-UAE and India-Indonesia-Australia. He will also have bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers of the G20 and UNSC member states, amongst others.
Commemorating and showcasing ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, Jaishankar would address a special event "India@75: Showcasing India UN Partnership in Action” on September 24, which would highlight India’s development journey and its contributions to South-South Cooperation. The event is expected to be addressed by the President of the 77th UNGA, along with Foreign Ministers of several member states, and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.
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In Washington DC from September 25-28 for bilateral meetings with US interlocutors, Jaishankar will hold discussions with his counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken, senior members of the US Administration, US business leaders and the Indian Diaspora.
The "visit would enable a high-level review of the multifaceted bilateral agenda and strengthen cooperation on regional and global issues to further consolidate the India-US strategic partnership".
India's current two-year tenure at the UN Security Council ends in December this year, when India will be President of the Council.
(With PTI inputs)
