NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar will travel to New York this month for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) but suspense remains about PM Narendra Modi’s participation. The ministry of external affairs did not confirm who will lead the delegation.TOI had reported on July 24 that India had reserved a slot for the PM to address the UNGA on Sept 26. However, the provisional list of speakers is not always a reliable guide about who might deliver India’s national statement. In the past too, the head of govt has been inscribed on the list of speakers only to later have the EAM fill in for the PM.According to sources, UNGA is not a part of PM’s travel schedule for now, and things are likely to remain that way, barring a last-minute breakthrough in India’s trade talks with the US leading to a proposal for a meeting with President Donald Trump. As things stand now, any such development seems unlikely.If he travels all the way to New York, the PM would ideally want to have a bilateral meeting with Trump. However, in the current circumstances, govt believes it’s best to avoid a high-stakes meeting between the leaders. Jaishankar is certain to be there and will meet many of his counterparts on the margins, including Ukraine foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.Trump is also reportedly upset with Modi for not hopping over to Washington from Canada where the PM was attending the G7 summit. However, the fact that the President was hosting Pakistan army chief Asim Munir at the same time made it impossible for Modi to travel to the capital.
