"India Matters More. We Are A Bridge": S Jaishankar On UN Visit Takeaways

Dr S Jaishankar wrapped up the New York leg of his visit to the US as he addressed the high-level UN General Assembly session Saturday

India really matters more in the current polarised world and the country is perceived very widely as the voice of the global South, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

Mr Jaishankar wrapped up the New York leg of his visit to the US as he addressed the high-level UN General Assembly session Saturday, concluding a hectic week of whirlwind diplomatic engagements during which he met over 100 of his counterparts from around the world and held several bilateral and multilateral meetings.

"There's no question this UNGA reflects the state of the world, which is particularly polarised at this moment. 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," Mr Jaishankar told a group of Indian reporters here as he highlighted some of the big takeaways of his week-long visit to the UN and the city. He will head to Washington DC Sunday for the second leg of his US visit.

Mr Jaishankar said that at a time when normal diplomacy is not working that well, India has so many relationships, such an ability to communicate and find touch points with different countries and regions.