UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday thanked India for its strong and sustained support to peacekeeping.

While addressing a tea reception hosted by India at UN's headquarters in New York on the occasion of International Day of Peacekeeping, Guterres honoured the memory of 163 Indian peacekeepers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.

"India has always been one of the largest troop contributing country to peacekeeping operations. Currently, about 7,700 Indian peacekeepers are deployed around the world, a majority in South Sudan and Congo" Guterres said.

(With inputs from AIR)