United Nations General Assembly President Csaba Korosi on Monday hailed India's calls for peace in Ukraine and across the world.
"We are approaching the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine that caused suffering and displacement. A war that has unleashed an energy and food crisis across the globe. I commend India for your calls for peace in Ukraine and across the world," Mr Korosi said while delivering the 40th Sapru House Lecture.
The Hungarian diplomat who assumed his role as President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2022 had arrived in India on Sunday on a three-day visit at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Delivering the 40th Sapru House Lecture on "Solutions through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science at the UN" at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), Mr Korosi said that the world is standing at the edge of the precipice and he thanked India for its continued and active engagement in the process.
India has been calling for peace and diplomacy to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Mr Korosi commended the Indian government for its commitment to the safety and security of Indian students who were present in Ukraine when the war broke out.
"A war that even rolled back unconditional and unconscious road. I know many Indians were studying in Ukraine when the war broke out and I salute your country and your country's government for their commitment to their safety and security.
"Your delivery of human carrier needs has also eased the suffering of thousands and millions of civilians inside the country. But, the physical impacts of war, its consequences in the international rules-based system on our multilateral order on trust among member states and on public trust in the United Nations have been profound," the UNGA President said.
Csaba Korosi said that the UN has been able to count on India on various issues, including fighting polio. He said that India is one of the significant contributors to troops in peacekeeping. He called India's leadership in the field of digital infrastructure from building innovative governance to citizen-oriented services as "transformational" in action.
"We are standing at the edge of a precipice. I have consistently called on the member states to move from the position of No and Later to yes and Now. I thank India for its continued and active engagement in this process," Csaba Korosi said.
"We have been able to count on India in multitude of issues, from fighting polio to promoting equality. India is one of the largest contributors to troops in peacekeeping," he added.
On Sunday night Russian forces bombarded the Ukrainian region of Kherson, after a day of attacks that left at least three people dead.
In his address on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about Russian shelling in Kherson. He said, "there are reports of six wounded and three dead" from the recent shelling.
Meanwhile, prior to his address at ICWA in New Delhi the UNGA President thanked Union Minister for Petroleum Hardeep Singh Puri and Former UN Assistant Secretary-General Lakshmi M Puri for hosting him on January 29.
Korosi in a tweet stated, "Thanks to my dear friends @lakshmiunwomen & @HardeepSPuri for hosting us last night. Deeply enriched by the discussions on various global challenges, UN's role & our work in the GA to address them."
