In the intricate world of foreign relations, it’s easy to make a faux pas. The wrong handshake or a misstep in the wording of your communiqué can set your dignified friends abuzz.

But imagine reading the wrong country’s speech at your first UN Security Council meeting. That’s what the India’s minister of external affairs did last week.

It happened when S.M. Krishna took to the podium in his first appearance at the UN since his country began its two-year-term as a temporary member of the Security Council, reports Foreign Policy.

Krishna had his speech printed out on the topic of the day, the interdependence between security and development. As soon as he was introduced, he grasped the crisp white pages and began to read.

That’s when it all went wrong.

Maybe when he hit the phrase, “I’d like to express my satisfaction regarding the happy coincidence of having two members of the Portuguese-speaking countries” a minute into addressing the 15-nation council, Krishna should have realized something was askew.

Watch the video here around the 1:08 mark.

But as chuckling ensued, the minister, immersed in his papers, continued.

In fact, it wasn’t until Krishna lauded the importance of increased coordination between the United Nations and the European Union, three minutes in, that his aids stepped in to inform the minister he should flip to the speech nearer the bottom of his pile.

Krishna seemed confused. “Okay,” he said before asking: “I have to start all over again?”

And without looking up, Krishna was off again, as if nothing had happened, thanking the council for having him and opening with Gandhi’s line “Poverty is the worst form of violence.”

Turns out the foreign minister of Portugal, who had spoken before Krishna, decided to ad lib, leaving a copy of his speech unread and on top of the Indian minister’s pile.

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While India’s opposition parties have declared that the minister should be fired for bringing shame to his country, Krishna contends the mistake could have happened to anyone.

“There was nothing wrong in it,” he told the Press Trust of India. “There were so many papers spread in front of me, so by mistake the wrong speech was taken out.”

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