Jaishankar arrives in US for UNGA high-level meet, SC reform tops agenda

 

New York [US], September 19 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived here Sunday for the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and is likely to meet United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and several heads of state later this week.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj and Consul General (New York) Randhir Jaiswal received Jaishankar on Sunday afternoon on his arrival here.

Over the course of the week, Jaishankar is scheduled to have more than 50 official engagements including bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral meetings

The Indian minister is scheduled to deliver on Saturday India's address at UNGA, which is meeting on the theme, "A Watershed Moment: Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges".

Security Council reforms will be the top item on Jaishankar's agenda as he meets dozens of world leaders during the week packed with the Assembly session and several events on the sidelines.

Council reform is expected to get a boost during the session as US President Joe Biden is to present ideas for its reform and consult with other leaders, according to US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenburgh.

The former diplomat is also scheduled to host a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of G4, the group made up of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan that advocate for expanding the Council and mutually support each other's claim for a permanent seat.

During his 11-day visit to the US beginning today, Jaishankar will also participate in meetings of Quad made up of India, Australia, Japan and the US, BRICS and several other key groupings.

Commemorating the nation's 75th anniversary of Independence, the highlight of Jaishankar's visit will be an event on Saturday, "India@75: Showcasing India UN Partnership in Action", on New Delhi's cooperation with the UN and its march towards the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN.

The Assembly's high-level meeting returns to a complete in-person format after two years of the Covid pandemic with 153 heads of state or government, three Deputy Prime Ministers and 34 foreign ministers expected to participate.

Jaishankar will be in New York from September 18 to 24, while he will visit Washington DC from September 25 to 28, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

After concluding his visit to New York on Saturday, he is scheduled to visit Washington for three days starting Sunday for what the External Affairs Ministry said for "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".

In Washington, Jaishsnkar is expected to meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior officials of the Biden Administration. A round table focused on science and technology is also on the agenda for Washington.