‘Arrived in Delhi, warmly received’: UNGA chief’s tweet on India visit

Abdulla Shahid, the head of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), arrived in Delhi on Sunday for a two-day India visit. On his agenda are meetings with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra.

In a tweet soon after his arrival, the UNGA chief wrote that he was “warmly welcomed” by the foreign ministry. "Arrived in New Delhi! Warmly received by @MEAIndia. Joint Secretaries: Prakash Gupta - UNP & Kartik Pande - IOR. Look forward to productive engagements, (sic)," he wrote.

Shahid - the head of the main policy making organ of the UN - is also the foreign minister of Maldives. In focus during his meeting would be ongoing issues at the General Assembly and India's engagement with the United Nations. He would also meet UN Resident Coordinator in India Shombi Sharpi.

An official UN statement - announcing his India visit - earlier read: “President Shahid will be traveling with a delegation of three members of his Office. The costs of the visit are borne by the Government of the Republic of India and the OPGA Trust Fund.”

Abdulla Shahid’s one-year-term as UNGA chief ends next month.

(With inputs from PTI)