External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday stated that there is greater support for India’s case to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council and that there is a broad global consensus over the need to reform the Council. “I do believe that each passing year, I sense in the world that there is greater and greater support for India to be there (UNSC).” The Minister said that a reform, particularly as it does not reflect the realities of the world, is needed, asserting that an expanded Council is not only in India’s favour but also in favour of other unrepresented areas.
“Within a few years, India will be the third largest economy in the world. It will be the most populous society and not to have such a country in the council-it’s obvious it’s not good for us, but I also think it’s good for the global council,” Jaishankar said while speaking at Columbia University, New York.
Earlier, he also said that it is in the mutual interest of India and China to find a way to accommodate each other as the “Rise of Asia” is contingent on the economies of the two countries getting along well.
“The biggest thing we have seen in the world is the rise of China. It has risen in a dramatic manner. It’s in mutual interest to accommodate each other because the rise of Asia is contingent on the three biggest economies getting along with each other,” said Jaishankar at an event at Columbia University.
Over the last three days, Jaishankar has met with envoys and heads of states from around the world on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and has had more than 50 official engagements in total. The highlights of Jaishankar’s meetings, particularly with developing countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Small Islands, are sharply focused on the reform of the UN Security Council.
“We do command the confidence and trust of a very large part of the world. I don’t want to compare it to the current permanent five (P5), but I believe many countries believe we speak for them with empathy and accuracy,” Jaishankar added.
Jaishankar will address world leaders at the General Assembly on Saturday, after which he will leave for Washington and a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.