Jaishankar continues India's diplomatic outreach at UNGA

New York, Sep 27 (IANS) Continuing India's active diplomatic outreach on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) here, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his counterparts from several countries, including Japan, Brazil and Singapore.

Besides the meetings on Thursday, Jaishankar also participated in multilateral sessions of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA), BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, SAARC, and the Quad - India, US, Japan and Australia. 

The SAARC meeting saw the Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi boycott the event during Jaishankar's speech over Kashmir.

Jaishankar met his Brazilian counterpart Ernesto Araujo and Federal Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro during a bilateral.

He also met his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid and discussed strengthening bilateral ties.

"Both sides agreed to work more closely to take Maldives-India ties to new heights," Shahid said in a tweet.

Jaishankar also met the European Union's Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini, whom he had met earlier this month to convey India's Kashmir move.

"The UNGA is a great place to catch up with old friends. Good to meet EU High Representative @FedericaMog," he said in a tweet.

Jaishankar also met his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan. "A much-needed coffee break. With just the right companion, FM @VivianBala of Singapore," he tweeted, with a picture of the two Ministers enjoying a coffee break.

He met newly-appointed Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. "Expecting to work closely with him on our special relationship," he tweeted.

He met his Croatian counterpart Gordan Grlic Radman. "Brought back good memories of Zagreb," Jaishankar tweeted.

Jaishankar also met his counterparts from Sierra Leone and Latvia, Nabeela Tunis and Edgars Rinkevics.

He met the Ugandan Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda. "India-Uganda ties are a textbook case for South-South cooperation," he tweeted.

He also met his Paraguayan counterpart Antonio Rivas Palacios.

"A day that began with Brazil ended with Paraguay. Thank you FM @ARivasPalacios for your strong support for our bilateral relationship. Look forward to cooperating closely in the multilateral arena," Jaishankar tweeted.