Sushma skips discussion on Rohingyas with Sheikh, talks on women entrepreneurship with Ivanka

At the UN General Assembly session in New York, US, Sushma Swaraj met Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday.

New York, Sep 19: On the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly session in New York, US, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday (IST) met several important foreign delegates including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and US President Donald Trump's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump.

However, Swaraj and Hasina did not discuss the "burning" issue of Rohingya refugees during their meeting, said a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs.

The statement added that it was a mere courtesy call and issue of Rohingyas did not come up during it.

In the last three weeks, around four lakh Rohingyas facing violence and persecution at the hands of Myanmar government have taken shelter in Bangladesh. At this critical juncture, the Narendra Modi government made it clear that the country plans to deport around 40,000 Rohingyas staying in India as they pose threat to the security of the country.

With Ivanka, who would be leading an American delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in India in November, Swaraj discussed women's entrepreneurship and workforce development in the two countries.

"We had a great discussion on women's entrepreneurship, the upcoming #GES2017 and workforce development in the US and India," Ivanka said in a tweet after the meeting.

India and the US will co-host the GES in Hyderabad from November 28 to 30. The GES is the preeminent annual gathering of emerging entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders from around the world.

Ivanka, 35, took to twitter to express her respect for Swaraj, whom she described as the "charismatic" foreign minister.

"I have long respected India's accomplished and charismatic Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, and it was an honor to meet her today," Ivanka said.

During her week-long stay in New York, Swaraj, leading a high-powered Indian delegation, is expected to hold about 20 bilateral and trilateral meetings with leaders attending the session.

Swaraj is scheduled to leave for India, a day after her address to the UN General Assembly on September 23.

OneIndia News