UNGA President Volkan Bozkir was saddened by the Indian ministry’s reaction to his remarks on the topic of Jammu and Kashmir. Bozkir said adding that his statements were taken out of context and depicted from a biased viewpoint.
Amy Quantrill, Bozkir’s Deputy Spokesperson, claimed that the UNGA president’s recent statements on Jammu and Kashmir were consistent with the UN’s long-standing view on the decades-old issue at the daily midday press conference.
I am pleased to return from successful visits to #Bangladesh and #Pakistan last week.
For more information about my engagements, see the remarks of my Deputy Spokesperson today during the daily noon press briefing. 🇺🇳🇧🇩🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/Q69gVrdeI0— Volkan BOZKIR (@volkan_bozkir) June 1, 2021
“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 declaration comes after an Indian ministry spokeswoman slammed Bozkir’s statements that Pakistan is “duty-bound” to press the matter more forcefully at the UN.
“When an incumbent president of the UNGA makes misleading and prejudiced remarks, he does a 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, only two days following the Indian ministry’s response, the United Nations General Assembly reaffirmed what it had stated before, urging both Pakistan and India to settle the matter via peaceful means.
When asked whether the UNGA president will visit India to clarify his stance on Jammu and Kashmir, Quantrill replied she had just read out the words that reaffirmed the president’s stance, which was consistent with prior UN stances as reflected in Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter.
