A day after a statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled in the presence of Foreign Minister S Jaishankar at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted that it will “serve as a reminder of the values Gandhi upheld”. “Mahatma Gandhi was an uncompromising advocate for peaceful co-existence, non-discrimination & pluralism. The new installation located at @UN Headquarters will serve as a reminder of the values Gandhi upheld, and to which we must remain committed,” the UN chief wrote on Twitter.
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The UN chief, President of the 77th UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi, and India's Permanent Representative Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj were also present when Gandhi's statue was unveiled. During the event, Mahatma Gandhi's favourite bhajan ‘Vaishnav Jan’ was also recited, reported news agency ANI.
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{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, S Jaishankar on Wednesday shared a picture from the event on Twitter and said: “Honored to join UNSG @antonioguterres and @UN_PGA Csaba Kőrösi in unveiling the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the @UN Headquarters. May his presence in these hallowed premises inspire the UN to live up to its founding ideals.”
The external affairs minister reached New York on Tuesday to preside over two signature events on counter-terrorism and reformed multilateralism being held under India’s current Presidency of the UN Security Council. India is set to conclude a two-year stint as a non-permanent member of the UNSC at the end of this month.
He also tweeted about his meeting with the UN chief. "A warm meeting with UN Secretary General @antonioguterres. Valued his insights on UNSC reform and Ukraine conflict. Exchanged views on working together during India’s G20 Presidency. (sic)," the minister wrote.
(With inputs from agencies)