United Nations: Rebuffing Pakistan for raising the Kashmir issue at the UN, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted today that he was prepared to engage in a serious bilateral dialogue with it “without the shadow of terrorism” but asked it to create an “appropriate environment” for that.
Without making a direct reference to the strident speech of his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif here yesterday in which he had insisted on a plebiscite in Kashmir, Modi made it clear that “raising issues in this forum is not the way to make progress towards resolving issues between our two countries”.
In his maiden address to the 193-member UN General Assembly, the Indian leader underlined that his government placed the highest priority on advancing friendship and cooperation with its neighbours, including Pakistan.
Speaking in Hindi, Modi said, “I am prepared to engage in a serious bilateral dialogue with Pakistan in a peaceful atmosphere, without the shadow of terrorism, to promote our friendship and cooperation.
“However, Pakistan must also take its responsibility seriously to create an appropriate environment,” he told the Assembly.
Here we are giving you live updates of PM Modi's speech:
8:51pm: Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi concludes his address.
08:47pm: Modi- When we craft agreements on international trade we should accommodate each other's concerns & interests. Yoga is not just an exercise. It brings change in life and helps us fight. Let us celebrate International Yoga Day. Generations are remembered by what they leave behind. Next year UN will be 70 years old. Should we wait for another few years to create an impact? The following year is an year of opportunity for the UN.
08:45 pm: Modi: Technology has simplified life. India has to utilize its technology and skills. We need to change our lives. In order to deal with challenges we need to honestly fulfill our responsibilities. Every Government will have to fulfill its responsibility for development, which means better coordination of policies. When we craft agreements on international trade we should accommodate each other's concerns & interests.Let's work together in the direction of celebrating an international 'Yog Diwas'.
08:40 pm: Modi- Let us put three times the effort on stands that will take us forward. World is evolving at fast pace in 21st century,it becomes important for us to change ourselves with time & emphasize on new ideas. There are nations that are crumbling under financial crisis. We can change that now. Solution has never been more simpler than It is now. It is obvious that every nation has to work for their nation in the right direction. International participation is important. When we participate in International trade, 1.3 billion people don't have purified water. 1.3 billion people don't have electricity. They don't have facilities for a hygienic lifestyle. India is suffering. My developmental agenda for my country consists of these basics. We need to be aware of all this- Forest, rivers, blue sky and wildlife. We need to be honest in carrying out our work.
08:38 pm: Modi: I want to say that we need to change according to time. Lets mould ourselves according to the need of the hour and work together towards peace. Give importance to new and innovative thoughts. We need to resolve issues and work together to combat terrorism. Comprehensive convention on terrorism- We need to understand this. We need peace, stability on outer and inner space. International laws must be obeyed. UN's peace making guidelines must be followed.
08:35 pm: Modi- Despite having UN, We talk about a lot of G's nd we are all connected to it including India. Cant we unite it all and be G all than G1, G2, etc?We need to think how to create a G-all atmosphere when UN is about to celebrate its 70 years.Those who have a negative attitude take the easy path. But if we are being casual, then we will lose out on a lot. Let us work together.
08:33 pm: Modi- There is uncertainity in the world. No major wars are happening yet the is turbulence. Poverty is at the helm. West Asia is facing continuous war. For the past few years we are facing violence. Terrorism has caused havoc all over the world. I remember when I had met some leaders few years back, they viewed terrorism as law and order issue. We see even today that same nations are protecting terrorism. We also hear about good terrorism and bad terrorism. When we start talking like this then we tend to weaken our stand on terrorism .To combat it, why don't we come together. Space, sea and cyber space – The ocean that united us, now created barriers. Space and cyber that brought us together has now taken a form to create conflict. The risk factors that we face now was not there earlier. Terrorism is appearing in new forms & and no nation is free from it.In very important spheres we are seeing new tensions.
08:31pm: Modi- We are prepared to engage in serious bilateral dialogue with Pakistan in a peaceful atmosphere, without the shadow of terrorism.It is also upto Pakistan to create the right atmosphere and come forward for bilateral talks.Are we really trying to combat such forces (terrorism) with a collective effort?
08:29pm: Modi- India looks for peaceful atmosphere. We want cordial relations with our neighcbours.Hence my government has worked towards that from the scratch. We feel the same sentiment for Pakistan. But cordiality cannot be one sided. Pakistan also has to take a step forward. India is not only working for Kashmir in India. In the recent calamity that took place in the region, Kashmir in Pakistan was also affected. We also offered help to flood victims in Pakistan.
08:26 pm: We have helped the poor, and are working together to save the environment. We believe in democracy. There is a wave of democracy in the World. The peaceful political transition in Afghanistan is a testament to this. Nepal has moved towards peace. Bhutan has displayed renewed strength through democracy. Tunisia is also excelling to make democracy a success. Stability, peace and awareness is visible. Latin America is also working for stability.
8:20pm: Modi-Every nation has its own philosophy. I am not talking about ideology.This philosophy guides the nation.India's is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.India moves forward with this philosophy. Our culture and tradition take as forward. The whole world is a family. Justice, pride, opportunity, prosperity – India raises its voice for these issues. We belives in multilateralism. The trust has bound us together. We have established this organization with faith with the hope that we can unanimously work towards peace.
08:19 pm: Modi - This is for the first time I'm addressing you as PM of India. I understand the kind of expectation world has from a nation of 1.25 billion people. India is going through a phase of transformation.
08:18 pm: Modi begins his speech at UNGA in Hindi
08:05 pm: PM Narendra Modi takes tour of the United Nations
08:00 pm: Modi raised the issue of combating terrorism in his interaction with the UN chief.
07:59 pm: Modi takes his seat in UNGA
07:56 pm: Modi greets UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon at the UN Headquarters
07:52 pm: Modi tours United Nations
07:51 pm: Modi will begin his speech in a couple of minutes
07:42 pm: Narendra Modi has arrived at UNGA
