Sushma Swaraj begins US visit, meets counterparts from 7 nations

United Nations, Sep 25:

Minister

has begun her 10-day trip to the US with back-to-back meetings here with her counterparts from seven nations, including the UK and the Maldives.

Swaraj met the leaders at the United Nations headquarters yesterday. She met UK Secretary of State Philip Hammond, Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Ahmed Karti, Maldives Foreign Affairs Minister Dunya Maumoon, Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Borge Brende, Kyrgyz Foreign Affairs Minister Abdyldaev Erlan Bekeshovich, Greece Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos and Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Aminu Wali.

Swaraj, however, did not speak to the media after the meetings. The External Affairs Minister is scheduled to meet nearly 100 foreign ministers during her visit to the US and will also join the delegation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will reach New York on September 26.

Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's arrival, Swaraj will participate in the meetings with the Foreign Ministers of the G4, IBSA, BRICS, Commonwealth and SAARC. Her bilateral meetings will be with Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Alberto Figueiredo Machado, Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Minister Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali and Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi.

In the Commonwealth and SAARC meetings, Swaraj could meet Pakistan's National Security and Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz.

On September 26, before Modi reaches New York, Swaraj will participate in a bilateral meeting with Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry besides participating in a ministerial level meeting of the Committee on Palestine.

PTI