UN chief praises Pakistan’s peace efforts during meeting with Naqvi

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday praised Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace during a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Naqvi is representing Pakistan at the two-day United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit 2026, being held at the UN headquarters in New York on July 7 and 8. The summit has brought together interior ministers, police chiefs, and senior UN officials from around the world to discuss how UN policing can better respond to evolving peace and security challenges, while strengthening international cooperation against transnational crime.

On the sidelines of the summit, Naqvi is also holding a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from several countries.

According to a post on X by state-run PTV, the two sides also exchanged views on Pakistan’s mediation efforts and the country’s longstanding contributions to international peace. Guterres commended Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace, the statement said.

Earlier, Naqvi met with Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Alexandrovich Kolokoltsev, who agreed to further strengthen Pakistan-Russia relations during a meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where they discussed regional security and expanding cooperation between their interior ministries.

According to a statement issued by the Interior Ministry on X, the two ministers held detailed discussions on the regional situation and explored ways to enhance cooperation in counter-narcotics, counterterrorism, cybercrime, and joint police training exercises.

The two sides also discussed a joint strategy to counter terrorist networks operating in the region, particularly in Afghanistan, and agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between their interior ministries to expand bilateral cooperation, the statement said.

Naqvi also invited Kolokoltsev to visit Pakistan.

The meeting reviewed progress on decisions taken during the ministers’ previous meeting, according to the statement.

Referring to the security situation in the region, Naqvi said more than 25 terrorist organisations were active in Afghanistan. “More than 25 terrorist organisations are active in Afghanistan. Eliminating these extremist groups is a shared responsibility. We need to work together to eradicate this menace,” the interior minister was quoted as saying.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of engagements at the UN headquarters in New York.

On Wednesday, Naqvi held meetings with China’s Minister of State for Public Security and head of the Special Service Bureau, Ling Zhifeng, and Sri Lanka’s Interior Minister Ananda Wijepala.