UNGA president ‘saddened’ at India’s reaction, reiterates remarks on Kashmir

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Volkan Bozkir was ‘saddened’ by the Indian ministry’s reaction to his remarks regarding the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, adding that his comments were taken out of context and portrayed from a selective perspective.

During the daily noon press briefing, Bozkir's Deputy Spokesperson, Amy Quantrill, said that the UNGA president's recent remarks on Jammu and Kashmir were consistent with the long-standing UN position regarding the decades-old dispute.

"The president was saddened to see a press statement from Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which portrayed his remarks on Jammu and Kashmir from a selective perspective," Quantrill said. “The UNGA president continues to support dialogue and diplomacy and encourage both Pakistan and India to resolve this dispute through peaceful means,” she added.

The UNGA’s statement comes after the Indian ministry spokesperson reacted sharply to Bozkir’s remarks that Pakistan is ‘duty bound’ to raise the issue in the UN more strongly.

“When an incumbent president of the UNGA makes misleading and prejudiced remarks, he does great disservice to the office he occupies. Bozkir's behavior is truly regrettable and surely diminishes his standing on the global platform,” the Indian MEA spokesperson had said.

However, just two days after the Indian ministry’s reaction, the UNGA reiterated what it said earlier, encouraging both Pakistan and India to resolve the dispute through peaceful means.

Quantrill, when asked if the UNGA president will visit India to explain his position on Jammu and Kashmir, said that she had just read out the lines that reiterated the president's position, which was consistent with previous UN positions, as expressed in Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter.