India is yet to take a final call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in late September, and people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday that a decision should be expected closer to the holding of the session in New York.
The inclusion of the Prime Minister’s name in the schedule for heads of state and government expected to address the UN General Assembly and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s remarks about a possible meeting with Modi on the margins of session in New York triggered speculation about a possible visit to the US.
The provisional list of speakers for the high-level debate at the upcoming session of the General Assembly states India’s head of government is expected to address the session on the morning of September 26. The debate will open on September 23 and conclude on September 29. The US head of state is slated to speak on September 23.
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However, the people cited above said the Indian side was nowhere close to a final decision on the level of participation in the UN General Assembly. “It has not yet been decided if the PM would be going to the UN General Assembly or not,” a person said, adding that such a visit appeared “very unlikely” at the current juncture.
{{/usCountry}}However, the people cited above said the Indian side was nowhere close to a final decision on the level of participation in the UN General Assembly. “It has not yet been decided if the PM would be going to the UN General Assembly or not,” a person said, adding that such a visit appeared “very unlikely” at the current juncture.
{{/usCountry}}The provisional list of speakers is prepared by the UN in August, well in advance of the session, with heads of state and government being given slots before foreign ministers or other representatives of a country. It is not rare for a head of state or government to drop out after their name is placed in the provisional list, the people said.
After making a phone call to Modi on Monday, Ukrainian President Zelensky had said on social media that the two leaders planned to meet during the UN General Assembly in September. This was one of the factors behind the speciation about a possible visit to the US by the PM, which could have paved the way for a potential meeting with Trump.
However, significant differences remain between the two sides on a trade deal, especially after Trump imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff on Indian goods and slapped another penalty of 25% on India for Russian oil purchases. In recent days, Trump has repeatedly criticised India over its tariff policies and for fuelling the “Russian war machine” by buying Russian crude.
Trump’s repeated insistence that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan to end four days of hostilities too hasn’t gone down well at the highest levels in New Delhi.