UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock to Visit India Next Week

During her visit at the invitation of the Indian government, Baerbock will have several bilateral meetings with officials, Collins said on Thursday.

She will also meet with the UN team in India led by Resident Coordinator Stefan Priesner, the spokesperson said.

This is the second high-level UN visit to India after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' trip to attend the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February.

Baerbock is quite familiar with India, having even travelled on New Delhi's Metro in one of her visits as Germany's foreign minister to enhance ties with the country. But this is her first time as the president of the General Assembly.

During her first visit as minister in 2022, she said, "Without a doubt, India will play a key role in shaping the international order of the 21st century - in the Indo-Pacific and beyond".

That India has lifted 400 million people out of extreme poverty in 15 years "shows that a pluralistic society, freedom and democracy are drivers of economic development, peace and stability", she added.

The Indo-Pacific region was an area of focus during the visit.

During that visit, she signed the migration and mobility agreement to facilitate the movement of skilled personnel.

She accompanied Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his 2024 visit to India for the seventh German-Indian intergovernmental consultations, whose motto was "Growing Together with Innovation, Mobility, and Sustainability".

Germany is a member of G4, the group that, besides India, includes Brazil and Japan, and lobbies for reforming the Security Council by adding permanent members.

The four countries support each other for permanent seats in a reformed Council.

Berbock has met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar several times during his visits to Germany, on the sidelines of international meetings and the G4 meetings at the UN.

From India, Baerbock will go on to China.

- IANS