On the first day of his three-day visit to India, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday paid respect to the victims of the 26/11 terrorist attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai.
Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, and Devendra Fadnavis, his deputy, accompanied Guterres as he laid a floral wreath at the hotel's 26/11 attacks memorial.
The UN head is making his first trip to India since the start of his second term in office in January. In October 2018 during his first tenure in the position of power, he had previously travelled to the nation.
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On Wednesday, shortly after midnight, Guterres arrived in Mumbai after departing from London on a commercial aeroplane. Senior Maharashtra government officials welcomed him when he arrived.
Later, he took a car to the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in south Mumbai to pay respects to those lost in the terrorist attacks of November 26.
One of the horrifying 26/11 terrorist strikes' targets in 2008 was the Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
Later in the day, before departing for Gujarat, Guterres will give a public speech at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai, on the topic "India @75: UN-India Partnership: Strengthening South-South Cooperation."
On October 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) event in Gujarat's Kevadiya along with the UN secretary general.
He arrives to the nation more than a week before the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee meets in India for two days of discussions.
S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, and Guterres would have private talks about world issues and ways to strengthen India's engagement with the UN, especially through the nation's future G20 chairmanship.
According to the MEA, Guterres would likely lay floral tributes at the Statue of Unity in Kevadiya. He also plans to visit Modhera, Gujarat, which is home to the nation's first solar-powered hamlet, as well as other nearby development projects.
Before leaving Mumbai for Singapore late on Thursday night, the UN secretary general would also visit the Sun Temple in Modhera, an official said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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