External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his counterparts from France, Ecuador, Slovakia and Switzerland on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York last night and discussed regional and global issues. Mr Jaishankar arrived in New York City on Sunday, leading the Indian delegation for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Mr Jaishankar will address world leaders at the General Debate from the UNGA podium on September 26.
His engagements commenced with a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. In a social media post Mr Jaishankar said the regular meetings and telecons enable both countries to maintain the momentum of Special Global Strategic Partnership.
He said that during the meeting, regional and global issues, specifically the Ukraine and Gulf crises, were discussed. Both the leaders also exchanged views on multilateral issues, including the reform of UN Security Council.
External Affairs Minister also held a meeting with Ecuador Foreign Minister Roberto Kury, to strengthen economic ties, including energy and pharmaceuticals, mobility, training of personnel, development partnership and cooperation in multilateral fora, including the United Nations.
Following his meeting with Slovakia Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar, the External Affairs Minister said that besides discussing the bilateral agenda, they also touched upon ways to deepen our multilateral cooperation.
Mr. Jaishankar also held a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Hungary Anita Orban. Both the leaders have agreed to work together to deepen ties to advance the bilateral strategic partnership.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held separate meetings with Switzerland Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and Nauru President David Adeang, discussing bilateral ties, economic cooperation, and multilateral issues.
Sharing details of his meeting on a social media post , Mr Jaishankar said the two sides reviewed the progress in their economic relationship following the entry into force of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement.
Earlier, Dr Jaishankar attended the first Visegrád Group (V4) and India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, involving Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
