United Nations Radio

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday wrapped up his visit to India, with meetings with President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, as well as with the UN Country Team.

Speaking to reporters before his departure, the Secretary-General said it had pleased him to have arrived in India on the 63rd anniversary of the country's admission into the United Nations. He added that it is truly impressive how much India has achieved since then, as a leading voice in the developing world, as a long-established democracy and as a growing economic power.

The Secretary-General added that, although he is impressed by India's progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals, he is concerned that the recent global food price hike has slowed this progress and the Goals will be adversely affected.

This is why, he said, he has been calling on the industrialized countries to make sure that the financial crisis does not affect their commitment to supporting developing nations as we all try to make sure that the Millennium Development Goals can be implemented on schedule.

He also told reporters that he is planning to go to Myanmar only when the political atmosphere is right, including by the acceleration of the democratization process there.

The Secretary-General has now arrived in Nepal, on a trip to meet with senior Nepalese officials and to reaffirm the UN's firm commitment to continue to support the consolidation of peace and reform. Over the weekend, he will also pay an official visit to Bangladesh.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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