Russian President Vladimir Putin to join PM Modi at UNSC debate

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 9

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among the several world leaders expected to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual chairing of a ‘High-level Open Debate’ at the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Monday evening, India time.

The debate will be broadcast live on @UNWebTV

The debate on ‘Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation’ will also be attended by high-level briefers from the UN System and key regional organisations.

The debate will focus on ways to effectively counter maritime crime and insecurity and strengthen coordination in the high seas. Modi is the first Indian prime minister to preside over a UN Security Council Open Debate, said an official release.

This is also the first time that maritime security will be discussed as an exclusive agenda item at a high-level meeting. Maritime security is one of the three focus areas of India’s Presidency of the UNSC during the month of August. The other two are counter-terrorism and international peace keeping.

The UN Security Council has discussed and passed resolutions on different aspects of maritime security and maritime crime but there has been no such debate.

India has put forward the vision of ‘SAGAR’ (an acronym for ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region’) which focuses on the need for cooperation to ensure a safe and sustainable maritime domain in the region.