President Joe Biden feels India should have permanent membership in UNSC: MEA

Washington, Sep 25: Foreign Secretary Harsha Vardhan Shringla on Friday said that US President Joe Biden feels India should have a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

Shringla spoke to media after Modi's meet with Biden at the White House. "There was an appreciation of our presidency of the UN Security Council, especially on the Afghanistan issue. President Joe Biden was very specific in stating that he felt India should have a permanent seat in the UN Security Council," the Foreign Secretary said on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Biden.

Shringla spoke to the media to brief about Narendra Modi's second day of engagements on his second day in the US. This is the eighth time India was elected as a non-permanent member.

India officially began its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council along with Norway, Mexico, Ireland and Kenya on 1 January 2021. It was elected earlier during the years: 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and in 2011-2012.

India was UNSC President in August 2021 and played a key role in handling the Afghanistan crisis. It will preside over the council again for a month in 2022.

The UN Security Council has five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom. The 193-member UNSC holds elections every year to elect five non-permanent members for a two-year term at the UN.

Meanwhile, Narendra Modi and Joe Biden held their first bilateral meeting on Friday after the latter assumed office. They discussed issues related to trade, COVID-19, climate change and stability in the Indo-Pacific.