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Russia has reiterated its support for India's bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
At the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday emphasised the need for reform in the UNSC to reflect the current global landscape. He stated that Russia backs India's application for a permanent seat, along with Brazil, to enhance representation from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Lavrov said Moscow "supports the application of Brazil and India for permanent seats" on the Council. With this, Russia became the only permanent member of the UNSC to support India for a permanent seat. Lavrov emphasised that the current global balance is significantly different from when the UN was established 80 years ago, necessitating reforms to make the UNSC more effective and representative. Earlier, Mauritius and Bhutan had also thrown their weight behind India's long-standing bid. Mauritius Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful told the Assembly, "India has now emerged as a major global player, and should have a permanent seat on the Council, commensurate with its constructive role in global affairs."Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay also supported India, he said "A reformed UNSC must include deserving nations such as India and Japan." In his UNGA remarks, Lavrov also underlined the importance of forums like SCO and BRICS in shaping collective positions of the Global South. He said these groupings "play a special role as mechanisms for coordinating the interests of the developing world." Calls for UNSC reform have been a key theme in this year's Assembly. On Friday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chaired a BRICS foreign ministers' meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA. The joint statement from the group reiterated support for the 2023 Johannesburg-II Declaration, which seeks a comprehensive overhaul of the Council to make it "more democratic, representative, effective and efficient." China and Russia, both permanent UNSC members, had also affirmed in earlier BRICS declarations that Brazil and India should play a greater role in the United Nations, including the Security Council. India has been pressing for reform of the UNSC for decades, arguing that its structure no longer reflects contemporary global realities. (ANI)
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