The newly elected President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Abdullah Shahid met PM Narendra Modi. The two leaders met, stressing the importance of reforming the multilateral system in view of the aspirations of the world’s large population and current realities, an official statement said. Shahid is also the Foreign Minister of Maldives. He has been elected President of the 76th General Assembly of the United Nations General Assembly. The election for the presidency for the 76th General Assembly was held on 7 July at New York Headquarters.
PM Modi congratulated Abdullah Shahid on being elected President of the General Assembly and underlined the emergence of Maldives on the world stage. The PM wrote in a tweet that it was a great pleasure to meet Abdullah Shahid, who was elected President for the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly. My best wishes for his tenure. I reiterated India’s commitment to the Maldives as a key pillar of our ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. The PMO said the prime minister respected Shahid for making a visionary statement of “presiding over hope” and assured him that India would extend its full cooperation and support to him during his tenure.
The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of reforming multilateral mechanisms, including the organs of the United Nations, and said it was necessary to reflect the current reality of the world and the aspirations of the world’s vast population. The two leaders also reviewed the recent upsurge in India-Maldives bilateral relations.
Here Abdullah Shahid tweeted that it is an honor for me to meet the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. Appreciated the continuous assistance and support being extended by India for the development of Maldives. Also thanked him for his support for the presidency of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly and told him about his priority.
Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said that some elements of the previous regime were spreading hatred against the Indian mission in his country. He said that these elements are minorities in number, dissatisfied with the big projects going on in the country with the help of India, so they are doing this for their political interest. On comparing the aid from India and China, Shahid said that India has always been among the first to help in times of need. Even during the Corona epidemic crisis, he was the first to come forward to help. He assisted in the evacuation of Maldivian students from Wuhan, China. India sent doctors and medical equipment. He gave $250 million in aid. Also provided us the vaccine within 48 hours of starting vaccination here. We should not compare it with other countries because whatever India did for us, we celebrate it.