|HT|
With India holding the Presidency of UN Security Council this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is travelling to New York on August 18-19 with key focus on Afghanistan, maritime security and counter-terrorism.
It is understood that after returning to India from UNSC, Jaishankar will fly again to north America via New York for bilateral visits to Mexico, Panama and Guyana later this month. The dates for the crucial bilateral visits to these Latin American allies of India are still being worked out. Guyana has Indian origin diaspora and has close ties with New Delhi.
With India deciding to make maximum contribution to the UNSC as a non-permanent member till 2022, EAM Jaishankar has been keeping constant touch with the multilateral body through its mission in New York. India is also the chair of the 1267 sanctions committee, which has the mandate to declare UN designated global terrorists.
The focus of Jaishankar’s UN visit is expected to be Afghanistan, terrorism and maritime security with events in both South China Sea and Persian Gulf in focus as reports of irregulars seizing cargo vessels in the gulf coming in. India along with Quad partners is firm supporter and signatory of UN Convention on the Law of Seas (UNCLOS), which had rejected the nine dash line claims of China in South China Sea in 2016.
However, the key issue on the agenda will be UNSC role in the stability of Afghanistan with Pakistan supported Sunni Pashtun insurgent force Taliban trying to conquer the Islamic Republic through force while mouthing peace and negotiations to the international community. Despite initial confusion, the Taliban still resembles a heavily armed militia with medieval ideology and scant respect for minorities and women. Incidentally, Sunni Pashtuns comprises 30 per cent of population in Afghanistan and many among them oppose the barbaric practices of the insurgent force on innocent population.
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