India is perceived widely as the voice of the global South and matters more in the current polarised world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, reported PTI.

“There’s no question this UNGA reflects the state of the world, which is particularly polarised at this moment,” the minister told reporters in New York. “What the state of the world actually reveals in a way is that India matters more. We are a bridge, we are a voice, we are a viewpoint, a channel.”

Jaishankar, who was in the city to address the United Nations General Assembly, said that the world economy is going through a crisis due to the costs of food and fuel and that there is “great frustration” that these concerns are not being voiced.

“I am concluding this week with the sense that India really matters more in this polarised world and much of that is also due to the prime minister’s [Narendra Modi] leadership, his image, what he has done on the global stage,” the external affairs minister said.

Jaishankar said that at a time when normal diplomacy is not working well, India has the ability to communicate with different countries and regions, according to PTI.


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‘No rhetoric can cover up blood stains’: Jaishankar

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Jaishankar said that India firmly advocates a zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism.

“In our view, there is no justification for any act of terrorism, regardless of motivation,” the external affairs minister said, in remarks apparently aimed at China and Pakistan. “And no rhetoric, however sanctimonious, can ever cover-up blood-stains.”

Jaishankar said that those who politicise the United Nations Security Council’s 1267 sanctions regime do so at their own peril. “Believe me, they advance neither their own interests nor indeed their reputation,” he told the General Assembly.

The Security Council resolution 1267, adopted in 1999, established a sanctions regime against terrorist individuals and entities. China, which holds a veto power in the council, has blocked several attempts by India to designate Pakistan-based terrorists under the sanctions regime.

‘Russia is major partner in many domains’

Meanwhile, Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the General Assembly session on Saturday. He described Moscow as a “major partner in many domains”, PTI reported.

“We discussed a number of issues,” the external affairs minister told reporters. “Some part of my meeting was focused on our bilateral cooperation because Russia is a major partner in many domains.”

Jaishankar said that he had a wide-ranging conversation with Lavrov, during which the two leaders discussed bilateral co-operation, the situation in Ukraine and reforms in the G-20 and United Nations.