US President Joe Biden believes that India should receive a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Friday.
“There was an appreciation of our presidency of the UN Security Council, especially on the Afghanistan issue. President Joe Biden was precise in stating that he felt India should have a permanent seat in the UN Security Council,” Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Biden.
He was speaking to a special press briefing on PM Narendra Modi’s second-day visit to the US.
India, one of the founding members of the world body, has been elected as a non-permanent member of the council seven times during the years: 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and recently in 2011-2012.
The UNSC consists of 15 members, including ten non-permanent and five permanent members. The 193-member UNSC conducts elections every year to choose five non-permanent members for two years at the UN. Apart from this, there are also five permanent members of the council- China, France, Russia, the UK and the US.
On Friday, PM Modi and President Biden held their first bilateral meeting since Biden took office and discussed development in ties and issues related to trade, COVID-19, climate issues and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
PM Modi, who met Biden at the Oval Office of the White House, said in his opening remarks that the bilateral Summit was essential, and seeds have been sown for a stronger friendship between India and the US.
After the meeting, PM Modi said that Biden’s leadership on crucial international issues is laudable. India and the US would work collectively to overcome critical challenges like COVID-19 and climate change.
Since January, PM Modi and Biden participated in three summits. Two of them hosted by President Biden, the Quad summit in March and the Climate Change Summit in April, both held virtually. PM Modi also virtually took part in the G7 Summit held at Cornwall in the UK this June.