V4 Nations Back India’s Permanent UNSC Seat Bid
India’s campaign for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council has received collective backing from four Central European countries, with Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Czechia supporting New Delhi’s demand for a place in an expanded UNSC.
Visegrad Four Back India’s UNSC Permanent Seat
The support was announced following the first ministerial-level V4+India meeting held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár, speaking on behalf of the Visegrad Four, described India as an important country of the Global South and an “upcoming superpower” in the Indo-Pacific region. He said the four countries agreed that India should be represented as a permanent member of the Security Council.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described the inaugural V4+India meeting as a historic development in India’s engagement with the Central European grouping.
India Pushes for UN Security Council Reform
India has long argued that the present structure of the Security Council does not adequately represent contemporary geopolitical and economic realities.
The five permanent members of the UNSC remain the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom, reflecting the international power structure that emerged after the Second World War.
India maintains that greater representation for developing countries and the Global South is necessary to make the Council more representative and effective.
India-V4 Cooperation Set to Expand
Beyond UN reform, India and the V4 countries agreed to deepen cooperation through regular foreign ministers’ meetings and an annual business forum.
The two sides are also looking to expand engagement in trade, investment, technology, defence and connectivity.
India’s permanent UNSC membership bid has previously received support from several countries, including France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
