4 of 5 permanent members back India’s UNSC bid, government tells Lok Sabha

India’s bid for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council (UNSC) has been backed by four of its five permanent members, the government told the Lok Sabha on Friday as the first week of the monsoon session of parliament came to an end.

The UNSC has five permanent members – China, France. Russian Federation. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America.

Except China, all other countries have favoured India’s bid, it was revealed as minister of state for external affairs, V Muraleedharan, responded to a question. “Four out of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have bilaterally expressed official affirmations of support for India’s candidature to a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council,” the minister was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

“Towards this end, the government has undertaken various initiatives aimed at building international support for India. The matter is consistently taken up during bilateral and multilateral meetings at all levels, including at the highest levels,” he said.

Last year, US president Joe Biden had reaffirmed the US support for India’s permanent membership on a reformed United Nations Security Council and its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group during his first in-person bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House.

Also, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson – last year in February after New Delhi-Beijing consultations on the UNSC – had said the country was in favour of reforms in a manner that increased the authority and efficacy of the top world body. It was responding to a question on India’s bid for a permanent seat.