EAM holds bilateral meet with Madagascar minister; to address UNGA tomorrow

As part of a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly session in New York City, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on his Madagascar counterpart, Yvette Sylla, on Monday.

During the meeting, EAM Jaishankar discussed a partnership in aspects of food production and the defence sector with the Madagascar Foreign Minister.

Taking to his official handle on X, EAM Jaishankar posted, "A warm meeting with our SAGAR partner, FM of Madagascar, Yvette Sylla today. Discussed development partnership, millets and rice production, digital delivery and defence cooperation."

Madagascar is a SAGAR partner of India. Launched in 2020, Mission SAGAR is a global initiative along the lines of the Sagar doctrine. India launched this mission to provide relief aid to Indian Ocean countries following the Covid-19 pandemic. This initiative covers Maldives, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros, and Seychelles.

Jaishankar is in New York to lead the Indian delegation for the UNGA session. He will address the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, according to an official statement by the Ministry of External Affairs.

After concluding his visit to New York, he will travel to Washington, DC.

Earlier, on Monday, Jaishankar also met the United Nations General Assembly President Denis Francis.

Taking to X, the External Affairs Minister shared details about the meeting, posting, "Began the morning by meeting @UN_PGA Dennis Francis at UN Headquarters. Welcomed his appreciation of the outcomes of India's G20 Presidency. Confident that it would contribute to the UN General Assembly's discourse and deliberations. Agreed on the importance of reforming multilateralism and giving the Global South its due on crucial issues of our times."

After meeting Jaishankar, the UNGA president said the meeting focussed on key issues and priorities, including the UNSC reforms.

Francis posted on X, "Delighted to meet External Affairs Minister of India , H.E. @DrSJaishankar. Congratulated India's successful #G20 Chairmanship, especially on India's unwavering advocacy in support of the Global South. Discussed #UNGA78 priorities and key issues, including UNSC reform and building on the outcomes of the #SDGSummit ahead of the Summit of the Future."

On September 23, the External Affairs Minister, along with the UNGA president and foreign ministers of other nations attended a seminar titled 'India-UN for Global South: Delivering for Development event in New York'.

He called India's G20 Presidency challenging due to a "very sharp East-West polarization and a very deep North-South divide."

He said India was very determined to ensure that India's G20 Presidency was able to get back to its core agenda.

In his address at the 'India-UN for Global South: Delivering for Development event in New York' lecture, Jaishankar brought up India's G20 Presidency and the recently-held G20 summit in New Delhi.

On the first day in New York City, the External Affairs Minister had a productive and busy day of engagements with his counterparts from multiple countries.

On Saturday (local time), Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with Cambodia's Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Manet Hun on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UNGA.

Earlier, Jaishankar held a meeting with Guinea Bissau counterpart Carlos Pereira, with the discussions veering on expanding the development partnership and enhancing trade and investment between the two nations.

In a post shared on X, Jaishankar stated, "Good to meet FM Carlos Pereira of Guinea Bissau on #UNGA78 sidelines. Discussed expanding our development partnership and enhancing our trade and investment."

He also held a bilateral meeting with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos on Saturday, on the margins of the 78th UNGA session. After shaking hands, both the leaders held bilateral talks in the presence of officials from both sides.

Jaishankar posted on X, "Nice to meet Foreign Minister @ckombos of Cyprus this morning. Conveyed best wishes to President @Christodulides. Talked about follow-up steps to my visit last December. India's interest in the Mediterranean is steadily growing. Cyprus will always be a valued partner."

Prior to this, the Jaishankar met Uganda's Foreign Minister General Odongo Jeje. During the meeting, the two leaders noted the progress of various bilateral initiatives.

Posting about the meeting on X, Jaishankar stated, "So glad to meet FM @GenJejeOdongo of Uganda again, now on #UNGA78 sidelines. Fondly recalled my visit to Uganda. Happy to note that the progress of various bilateral initiatives. Offered our fullest support on their upcoming NAM and G77 Presidencies."

He also met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry and held bilateral talks with him.

Sharing the details of his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, the EAM posted on X, "Great to see my friend FM of Egypt Sameh Shoukry in New York on #UNGA78 sidelines. Appreciate his warm words for the Indian Presidency of G20. Took stock of the great progress in our bilateral cooperation. 2023 has been a landmark year in India-Egypt ties. Committed to take them forward.