“if we want a stable world, if we want a world in which peace can be sustained, in which development can be generalised, and in which, in the end, our values will prevail, we need to support multi-polarity – Antonio Guterres, United Nations Chief

Picture : @antonioguterres/X
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United Nations chief Antonio Guterres cited the FTA between India and the European Union as he underlined the need to support “multi-polarity”, emphasising that global problems will not be solved by “one power calling the shots”, in a veiled reference to the US and China.

“In the present moment, it is clear that the most powerful country in the world is the US. Obviously, we see – and many see in relation to the future – the idea that there are two poles, one centred in the US and one centred in China,” Guterres said according to PTI at a press conference at United Nations outlining his priorities for 2026.

He added that “if we want a stable world, if we want a world in which peace can be sustained, in which development can be generalised, and in which, in the end, our values will prevail, we need to support multi-polarity.

“We need to support a dense set of relations among different countries. And I see with a lot of positive expectations, recent trade agreements: You had the EU with Mercosur. You had EU with Indonesia. EU with India,” Secretary General Guterres said.

“You had Canada with China. You had UK with China. So, it is this network in trade, this network in technology, this network in international cooperation among a progressively larger group of countries and entities in a true multipolar world that, in my opinion, can create the conditions for strong multilateral institutions and for a world in which the values that are the values of the Charter of United Nations can prevail,” Guterres said.

India and the European Union on Tuesday sealed a landmark free trade agreement — billed as the “mother of all deals” — to create a market of two billion people, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa unveiling a transformative five-year agenda to largely leverage trade and defence in protecting the rules-based world order.

The two sides also inked two crucial pacts — one on security and defence collaboration and another on mobility of Indian talents to Europe — after Prime Minister Modi hosted von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa for summit talks amid frosty ties with the US.