India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar kept up his busy schedule at the United Nations high-level session in New York on September 25. He focused on pushing for UN Security Council reforms and strengthening ties with Pacific Island nations, while holding one-on-one talks with several foreign ministers to boost bilateral relations.
Jaishankar hosted the second joint ministerial meeting of the L.69 and C-10 groups, a key step in India’s drive for UN Security Council reform. Speaking to the group, he emphasized their shared goal: “We gather with a unity of purpose—to push for comprehensive reforms of the UN Security Council as fellow members of the Global South.” The C-10 includes 10 influential African Union countries like Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria. The L.69 is a larger 42-nation bloc from the Global South dedicated to the same reforms.
Shifting to Pacific outreach, Jaishankar chaired a meeting of the 13-member Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC). Afterward, he posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he’s pleased with the progress on the 12-point action plan announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2023 FIPIC summit in Papua New Guinea. “India and Pacific Island countries are development partners,” Jaishankar said. “Our agenda is people-centric and focused on health, technology, capacity building, and training.”
In bilateral meetings, Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s support for a fair resolution to the Cyprus issue during talks with Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos. He backed a comprehensive settlement based on UN frameworks and Security Council resolutions, recalling Turkey’s 1974 invasion and ongoing occupation despite UN calls to end it. Kombos replied on X: “Grateful for India’s long-standing principled support on the Cyprus Issue and its upholding of international law.” Their discussion also covered advancing the India-Cyprus strategic partnership, global challenges, and Cyprus’s upcoming presidency of the European Union Council.
Jaishankar also met Mexico’s Foreign Secretary Juan Ramon de la Fuente to build momentum from recent exchanges. “We agreed to create a fresh roadmap for strengthening our bilateral ties,” he noted.
He connected with other foreign ministers too, including Denis Moncada from Nicaragua, Frederick Stephenson from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Mauro Vieira from Brazil, Kalani Kaneko from the Marshall Islands, Paulson Panapa from Tuvalu, Gustav Aitaro from Palau, Aisake Valu Eke from Tonga, and Peter Shanel Agovaka from the Solomon Islands. These discussions highlighted India’s growing role in global diplomacy and partnerships in the Global South.
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