Swaraj meets B'desh PM Hasina, discusses Rohingya crisis

New York [USA], Sept 19 (ANI): Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New York on Monday and discussed the issue of ongoing Rohingya crisis.

According to sources, the two leaders also discussed nuances of Indian operation 'Insaniyat'.

India had launched 'Operation Insaniyat' to extend assistance to Dhaka, in response to the humanitarian crisis being faced on account of the large influx of refugees into Bangladesh.

India has always responded readily and swiftly to any crisis in Bangladesh.

Earlier in the day, Swaraj held various bilateral meetings in the day.

Today she held talks with her United Arab Emirates' (UAE) counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and her Tunisian counterpart Khemaies Jhinaoui, Foreign Minister of Denmark Anders Samuelsen and Foreign Minister of Bahrain Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa here.

She also held a ministerial trilateral meeting with the United States Secretary of State, Rex W. Tillerson, and Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Kono and discussed connectivity and proliferation issues.

The ministers emphasised on the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes.

They also discussed the importance of prudent financing. Respect for sovereignity and territorial integrity was underlined.

The three ministers also directed their senior officials to explore practical steps to enhance cooperation.

Later in the day, Swaraj will be taking part in a meeting, chaired by Trump, to discuss terrorism, on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

India will be supporting broad reform initiatives by Trump and Secretary General of United Nations aiming to increase efficiency, transparency, greater accountability, effectiveness and economise.

The initiatives are related to overall reforms of the U.N., including the Security Council reforms.

Swaraj, will also take up the issues of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, climate change, and other peace-keeping issues in the United Nation General Assembly.

The Indian foreign minister arrived in New York on Sunday for seven days of back-to-back engagements centering around the U.N. General Assembly, including her first meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Conclusively, Sushma Swaraj is set to have several bilateral meetings and multilateral commitments, apart from speaking at the U.N. general debate on September 23. (ANI)