In a move that will put all speculations to rest, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Rajya Sabha today that India doesn’t want any discrimination for new members of the UN Security Council in the permanent and non-permanent category.
“We don’t want any second class security council membership, we want the same facilities and obligations for new permanent members as old ones,” EAM Sushma Swaraj said in Rajya Sabha.
The move also reiterates a firm footed diplomacy by the Narendra MODI government.
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“We want the expansion of UNSC both in permanent and non-permanent categories,” Swaraj added.
Earlier India had said underscoring that the size of a reformed Council is a ‘choice of all, for all, by all’.
“The Council’s size is a choice of all, for all, by all. It cannot be allowed to falter on the altar of difficulty in the adaptation of current working methods.”
Earlier India had maintained in the negotiations that it believes that the expansion of the council is imperative and the council must be expanded in both the categories.
Four permanent members of the UNSC US, Russia, France and U.K. have already supported India’s candidature for a permanent seat on the UNSC. China has played a spoiler at the UN as well siding with the coffee club that includes Pakistan.