New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 27 September but will steer clear of Jammu and Kashmir and the abrogation of Article 370, which granted the state special status.
Sources told ThePrint that the prime minister will, instead, focus on cross-border terrorism and Pakistan’s alleged role in spreading terror in India.
Modi will be speaking before Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who will also be attending the annual UNGA meet, as has always been the norm.
Sources said India is aware that Pakistan will solely focus on Kashmir but India is going to remain firm on its stand that the state remains an internal issue of India.
This will be Modi’s first speech at the UN since being re-elected for the second time as India’s Prime Minister in May.
Modi’s American itinerary
Prior to his visit to New York, the prime minister will be spending two days in Houston addressing the Indian diaspora there at an event titled ‘Howdy, Modi!’ that is expected to be attended by 50,000 Indians on 22 September.
He will then address a roundtable of top American CEOs from the energy sector in Houston on 23 September. India plans to make the US an important destination to source its energy needs.
On the same day, Modi will head for New York where he will spend five days, holding a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders and American businesses.
After addressing the UNGA on 27 September, Modi is likely to visit Washington to have a bilateral dialogue with US President Donald Trump. This, however, depends on whether both sides can arrive at a considerable trade agreement.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has not been able to finalise a meeting with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who has sought a “substantial” trade package from New Delhi.
2+2 ministerial meet with the US not before UNGA
Sources meanwhile said that the 2+2 ministerial dialogue between India and the US will not take place before the UNGA and might be pushed to October due to scheduling issues.
The 2+2 ministerial dialogue, which will take place between Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and their American Counterparts Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper, has been postponed thrice so far.