NEW YORK: Noting that the world, for the past one-and-a-half years, is facing the worst pandemic of the past 100 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid his tributes to all those who lost their lives in COVID-19 and expressed his condolences to their families.
"For the last-one-and-half years, the world has been grappling with the worst pandemic it has seen in a hundred years. I pay my tributes to all those who have lost their lives in a dangerous pandemic and I express condolences to their families," PM Modi said while addressing the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The theme for this year's General Debate is 'Building Resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalise the United Nations'.
PM arrived in New York on Friday evening for the final leg of the US visit. He left from Washington on Friday after a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden and attending the Quad Summit.
PM Modi reached Washington on Wednesday for a three-day visit to the country, his first beyond neighbourhood since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Prime Minister held bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington. He also met his Australian and Japanese counterparts Scott Morrison and Yoshihide Suga.
PM Modi also participated in the first in-person Quad Summit. Apart from this, he also held meetings with five global CEOs for potential investments in India.