New York: Jaishankar, UN Chief discuss Afghanistan crisis

New York [US], August 18 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is in New York to chair high-level events in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and held discussions on Afghanistan.

“Good to meet UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres. Our discussions focused on Afghanistan, following upon the Security Council meeting yesterday,” Jaishankar tweeted.

Jaishankar reached New York on Monday to preside over two high-level meetings of the UNSC on UN peacekeeping and terrorism.

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar held talks with his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian and discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

The first UN event on August 18, 2021, will be an open debate on ‘Protecting the Protectors: Technology and Peacekeeping’ while the second event on August 19, 2021, will be a high-level briefing on ‘Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts’.Both these topics are priorities for India during its UNSC innings, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a press release.

Taliban on Sunday took control of Kabul and installed themselves in the presidential palace in Kabul.

President Ashraf Ghani fled the country as the terrorists entered the city on Sunday. Panic gripped the Afghan capital as people fear about a return to the Taliban’s brutal rule and the threat of reprisal killings. (ANI)