United Nations: Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi has discussed the Ukraine conflict and its impact on food and energy as well as the situation in Afghanistan with the President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid. "Had a very fruitful meeting with HE @abdulla_shahid, President of UN General Assembly. Appreciated various initiatives of @UN_PGA. Discussed #Ukraine conflict, including its impact on food, energy, tourism and finance, Afghanistan and Global South," Mrs. Lekhi, who arrived in New York from a visit to Chile, tweeted on Friday. Shahid also tweeted that it was "good to meet" Mrs. Lekhi and discussed various issues on the agenda of UNGA76 including the impact of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine on the global commodity, financial and energy markets across the world.
During the day, Mrs. Lekhi also visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and had an engaging discussion with the museum's senior team on India-US art and museum collaboration and thanked them for their support to 'Amrit Mahotsav', referring to the commemoration of India's 75th year of Independence. Later she also addressed a gathering at the Consulate General of India, New York during a storytelling session by actor Jugal Hansraj on his coming of age children's book 'The Coward and the Sword'.
Lauding Mr. Hansraj for his work, Mrs. Lekhi underscored the importance of inculcating in young children the habit of reading books, saying that books feed children's thirst for knowledge and benefit them throughout their lives. "I definitely believe that reading books and knowing about others, believing in diversity, accepting diversity, especially the country we all come from - India and the region we come from...is a way of celebration because the kind of diversity we exhibit only very few people can exhibit" that the kind of diversity, she said.