EAM Jaishankar joins G4 Foreign Ministers in New York, reaffirms call for UN reforms

New York, Sep 26 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participated in the G4 Foreign Ministers' meeting held in New York, alongside his counterparts from Japan, Germany, and Brazil.

The ministers reiterated their long-standing demand for comprehensive reform of the United Nations, particularly the UN Security Council.

Jaishankar shared the update on X, writing: “Glad to join the #G4 Foreign Ministers Meeting along with colleagues Takeshi Iwaya, Johann Wadephul and Mauro Vieira in New York today. #G4 reiterated its commitment to reforming the United Nations, including the UN Security Council. It also assessed the current state of the Inter-Governmental Negotiation #IGN process.”

The G4 nations are advocating for an expanded and more representative Security Council that reflects the geopolitical realities of the 21st century, including greater representation for developing nations.

On the sidelines of the G20 FMM in New York, EAM Jaishankar held separate meetings with Australian Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong, Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty, and Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Haji Hasan.

Earlier presenting the case for 'Operation Sindoor' before G20 Foreign Ministers on Thursday, Jaishankar said that those taking on terrorism are performing a service to the international community.

Describing terrorism as a threat to development and peace, he told a meeting of the Ministers here, "Given the extensive networking among terrorists, those who act against them on any front, actually render a larger service to the international community as a whole."

Although he did not directly mention Operation Sindoor carried out by India against terrorist enclaves inside Pakistan earlier this year, his target was clear.

"A persistent threat to development is that perennial disruptor of peace, terrorism," he said.

"It is imperative that the world display neither tolerance nor accommodation to terrorist activities."

India held the Presidency of the G20, the group of industrialised and emerging major economies, last year and handed over the charge to South Africa this year.

EAM Jaishankar criticised the double standards in imposing sanctions on countries supposedly to pressure Russia to end the Ukraine war, although again he did not name the US, which hit India with punitive tariffs for buying Russian oil.

Because of the sanctions and restrictions, "apart from jeopardising supplies and logistics, access and cost themselves became pressure points on nations," he said.

--IANS

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