Malé, Maldives — The neighboring country of Maldives, India said that they support the candidature of Maldivian Foreign Minister, Abdulla Shahid for the President of United Nations General Assembly for 2021.
The Foreign Secretary of India, Harsh Shringla, who recently visited Maldives on an official trip said that India feels like Maldives should play a more important role in the United Nations.
“In this context, I am happy to reiterate the commitment made by our External Affairs Minister earlier during the Virtual Meeting with Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid that India will support his candidature for Presidency of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly next year,” Foreign Secretary Shringla stated.
The Foreign Secretary of India further stated that with the “vast diplomatic experience and leadership qualities, Foreign Minister Shahid has the best credentials to preside over the General Assembly in these tumultuous times.”
Foreign Secretary Shringla then expressed the support India has for Abdulla Shahid by saying that “his Presidency will also provide greater visibility to the Maldives. We are happy that his term will coincide with our membership of the United Nations Security Council for 2021-22. We look forward to working closely with the Maldives in the United Nations.”
The presidential post of UNGA is elected annually by the vote of 192 members in the core UN body. While several South Asian nationals from the states including India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been elected as the President of UNGA over the past years, so far, no one from Maldives, Nepal or Bhutan have been elected for the President.
