New York: Multilateral platforms are being misused to justify and protect perpetrators of terrorism, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said during an open debate at the UN Security Council, in a veiled attack on China and its close ally Pakistan.
Presiding over the UN Security Council open debate on ‘Maintenance of International Peace and Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism’, Jaishankar also said the knock on effects of conflict situations have made a strong case that it cannot be “business as usual” in the multilateral domain.
“On the challenge of terrorism, even as the world is coming together with a more collective response, multilateral platforms are being misused to justify and protect perpetrators,” he said.
His remarks appeared to be a reference to repeated holds and blocks on proposals to blacklist terrorists, particularly those based on Pakistani soil like Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, in the UN Security Council’s sanctions committee by veto-wielding permanent members such as China.
Addressing the powerful 15-nation Council, Jaishankar said that reform is the need of the day. “And I am confident that the Global South especially shares India’s determination to persevere,” he said.
Jaishankar said, “We have convened here today for an honest conversation about the effectiveness of multilateral institutions created more than 75 years ago. The question before us is how best they can be reformed, particularly as the need to reform is less deniable with each passing year.”
The open debate, a signature event held under India’s Presidency of the Security Council for the month, was addressed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of the 77th session of the General Assembly Csaba Korosi.
Jaishankar said the call for change has been accelerated by growing stresses on the international system that the world has experienced in recent years.
“On the one hand, they have brought out the inequities and inadequacies of the way the world currently functions. On the other, they have also highlighted that a larger and deeper collaboration is necessary to find solutions,” he said.
“We not only need to increase stake-holdership but also enhance the effectiveness and credibility of multilateralism in the eyes of the international community and in the eyes of global public opinion. That is the purpose of NORMS” – New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System.
India restoring Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia
New Delhi: The Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia is being restored by India because our civilization is not limited to India, but is spread across countries, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.
Addressing the Kashi Tamil Sangamam on the subject ‘contribution of temples in society and nation building’ being held here, Jaishankar said, “There are temples not only in India, not only in the Indian subcontinent, but in many regions beyond.” “I had gone with the Vice President to see the biggest temple in the world — the Angkor Wat temple complex. Today, we are restoring and renovating the temples in Angkor Wat. These are contributions which we are making outside because the civilisation of India has gone beyond India,” he said.
“So, today when we are restoring, rebuilding, and re-energizing Indian civilization, our task is not only in India. Our task is all over the world. But, it is not only where our civilization went, it is also where our travellers went, our traders went, our people of faith went,” he said.
He also mentioned that Shrinath jee temple in Bahrain, and said, “All these were established by our people, when they went out. It is a matter of pride for us that we are building a temple in UAE, that we got approval to built a temple in Bahrain.
