New York [US], May 18 (ANI): Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan will participate in a high level Ministerial Meeting on 'Global Food Security-Call to Action' on Wednesday (local time) which will be chaired by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York.

MoS Muraleedharan is on an eight-day visit to the US during the course of which he is also leading the Indian delegation for the first International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) being held by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and will be delivering a statement at the UNSC Open Debate on "Maintenance of international peace and security: Conflict and food security", which will also be chaired by US Secretary of State Blinken.

The Minister is also expected to meet a wide cross-section of Indian diaspora in New York, Los Angeles and Houston, including those working in areas of community welfare, business, health, culture and education.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in New York on Wednesday morning, and will be meeting with senior officials from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Senegal in addition to meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and Turkey.

In the afternoon, Secretary Blinken will chair the 'Global Food Security-Call to Action' Ministerial hosted by the US, with a focus on strengthening global food security, nutrition, and resilience, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

On May 19, Secretary Blinken will chair the first signature event of the US presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC): an open debate focusing on the critical links between conflict and food security.

Following the debate, he will meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss the global response to the acute human suffering in and around Ukraine.

The meetings on Food Security in New York come at a time of a global rise in wheat prices in wake of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Recently, India imposed restrictions on the export of wheat, even as it drew criticism from Agriculture Ministers of G7 nations.

Interestingly, China came to India's defence after G7's criticism over the decision to regulate the export of wheat, saying that blaming developing countries like India won't solve the global food crisis. (ANI)