New York [US], September 20 (ANI)
In continuation to a series of meetings with counterparts from across the world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held bilateral talks with the Foreign Minister of Serbia, Nikola Selakovic and said that the city of New York during United Nations General Assembly is "full of friends."
Jaishankar, who arrived in the US on a 10-day visit, said that the UNGA is "full of friends." "So good to see FM Nikola Selakovic of Serbia," he added in a tweet following the meet. India and Serbia traditionally enjoyed deep friendship as co-founders of the Non-Aligned Movement. The deep bond of friendship continued in subsequent decades resulting in close and friendly ties between India and Serbia. Both sides welcomed the finalisation of reciprocal arrangement on recognition of COVID vaccine certificates issued by each other's national authorities.
Earlier, to review the gamut of bilateral strategic partnership between the two nations, Jaishankar held discussions with the UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and appreciated his insights on the global situation.
Kicking off a jam-packed diplomatic week in New York, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting, Jaishankar held a set of bilateral talks with his counterparts in the Balkans, Europe and the Caribbean, Middle East and Asia.
As part of his diplomatic meetings in the US, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar participated in a trilateral Ministerial meeting of India-UAE-France with his counterparts and exchanged ideas between the strategic partners.
EAM 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.
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.
He 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 visit to the US, 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.
