India an avid, committed advocate of multilateralism: UNGA Prez Francis

Describing India as a leader at the United Nations, General Assembly President Dennis Francis has said the country has been an avid and committed advocate of multilateralism and as a democracy of 1.4 billion people, it has a bright future in making a continued strong contribution to global affairs.

The remarks by Francis, the President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, came ahead of the end of his year-long tenure on Monday as head of the 193-member UN body.

There's no doubt about it - India is definitely a leader at the United Nations. India has been an avid and committed advocate of multilateralism, which is very much valued by the United Nations, Francis told PTI in an exclusive interview here.

Former Prime Minister of Cameroon Philemon Yang will take over as President of the 79th Session of the General Assembly on September 10.

Francis underlined that he expects India's role to continue and be strengthened.

"We know of course that India has an ambition to become