look news india
New York/Moscow. During the high-level annual session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held in New York, a big and decisive statement has come out in favor of India on the platform of global diplomacy. Russia’s veteran Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has reiterated his strong and unconditional support for India’s bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Along with this, Lavrov strongly criticized the Western countries (America and its European allies) and clearly warned that there is already excessive and disproportionate representation of Western countries in the Security Council, hence Russia will never accept further expansion of Western nations in the Council.
Amidst the changes in the global balance of power, India, along with the G4 group (G4 – India, Brazil, Germany, Japan), has been demanding immediate and comprehensive structural reforms in the UNSC. This clear statement from Russia has given new strength to India’s claim for permanent membership on the international stage, while it has spoiled the intentions of those countries who wanted to deepen Western influence in the Council.
Addressing an international press conference at the UN Headquarters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov highlighted the shortcomings of the current structure of the Security Council:
-
Excessive influence of western countries: Lavrov said that the current 15-member Security Council (5 permanent and 10 non-permanent) is already heavily dominated by Western countries. Of the five permanent members, three countries—the United States, Britain, and France—are part of the Western military alliance NATO and Western ideology.
-
Opposition to additional western expansion: He clearly stated that if permanent seats were given to Western allies like Germany or Japan, it would make the Security Council more unbalanced. According to Lavrov, there is no longer any justification for giving any additional permanent or non-permanent seats to Western countries.
-
Need for non-aligned and independent voice: The Russian Foreign Minister stressed that strong representation of developing countries is necessary to prevent the Security Council from becoming a rubber stamp institution following orders from Washington or Brussels.
Lavrov lauded India’s historic role, citing the world’s rapidly evolving economic and geopolitical realities:
-
India’s undisputed claim: Russia reiterated that India is the world’s largest democracy, fastest growing major economy and a strong pillar of international peace and stability. Therefore, the legitimacy and credibility of the Security Council is incomplete without the inclusion of India as a permanent member of the UNSC.
-
Strong advocacy of Global South: Lavrov said that countries with strong international stature like India and Brazil, as well as the African continent, which has been ignored in global forums for decades, should also get permanent and effective representation in the Security Council.
-
Multipolar World System: He clarified that the future global order will be multipolar, where developing countries will protect their interests on the basis of international law and sovereign equality, and not under ‘rules-based’ orders imposed by Western countries.
The issue of India’s permanent membership of the United Nations remains one of the most burning topics globally:
-
Stance of P-5 countries: Of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Russia, France, Britain and the US have on various occasions supported India’s permanent membership in principle, while China has consistently obstructed India’s entry by abusing veto power and resorting to procedural glitches.
-
Growing global pressure for reforms: In the current session of the United Nations General Assembly, many heads of state from around the world have admitted that the World War II-era UN structure created in 1945 has completely failed to deal with the challenges of the 21st century (such as the Ukraine crisis, the West Asia conflict, climate change and food security).
This tough and clear stand of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov not only attacks the double standards of Western countries, but also sends the message that it is impossible to imagine any new framework of global security and diplomacy without India.