Jaishankar meets UN chief Guterres, discusses ongoing conflicts

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at UN headquarters, discussing multilateralism, India-UN cooperation and global conflicts, including Ukraine and West Asia. They focused on mitigating conflicts’ impact on Global South countries as Guterres prepares to leave office

United Nations: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met UN chief Antonio Guterres, and both the leaders discussed ongoing conflicts, including the situation in West Asia, and their impact on Global South countries.

Jaishankar met Secretary-General Guterres at the UN headquarters on Tuesday as he wrapped up his engagements at the high-level UN General Assembly week.

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“Glad to meet @UN Secretary General @antonioguterres today. Our discussions focused on ongoing conflicts and the need to mitigate their impact, especially on the Global South,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.

A readout of the meeting issued by the office of the Secretary-General said Guterres and Jaishankar discussed “multilateralism, India-UN cooperation, and geopolitical developments, including the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.” The Secretary-General expressed appreciation for India’s cooperation with the UN, it said.

Delivering India’s national statement at the General Debate Saturday, Jaishankar had voiced appreciation for Guterres’s service as head of the world organisation as his tenure as the world’s top diplomat comes to an end in December.

“After a decade of service and dedication to the cause of multilateralism, we will soon bid farewell to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. India deeply values his many contributions, in particular, his personal support for Mission LiFE,” he had said.

This was the final high-level UNGA week for Guterres, whose second five-year tenure as head of the United Nations ends in December 2026.

He had visited India for the BRICS Leaders’ Summit earlier this month.

During a conversation at Asia Society, Jaishankar said he held meetings with about 85-90 counterparts through a “really very frantic week.”