New Delhi: External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that India will be granted permanent membership in the UN Security Council.
He said that India will have to work harder this time. The United Nations was formed around 80 years ago, by five countries- France, Russia, the United States, China and the UK. Jaishankar said that these countries decided among themselves to become permanent members of the UN Security Council. He added that there was a total of 50 independent countries around the world at the time of the UN’s founding, which today has increased to 193.
Jaishankar said that these five nations have kept their control and it is strange that we have to ask them to give us their consent for a change. A few of them agree and few others put forward their position with honesty while others do something from behind, he added. The minister said that this has been going on for many years but now there is a feeling around the world that this could change and India should get a permanent seat and he sees this feeling increasing every year.
Jaishankar said that India will achieve this goal but nothing is achieved without hard work. He said that India will work harder this year to achieve this objective. The Union Minister has said that India, Japan, Germany and Egypt have put forward a proposal together before the UN and he believes that this will take the matter a bit forward.
Jaishankar mentioned that everyone needs to build pressure as there is a feeling in the world that the UN has weakened as there was a deadlock in the UN on the Ukraine war and no consensus was reached regarding Gaza. He said that as the feeling of building pressure increases, India’s chances of getting a permanent seat also increase. On the question about baby girl Aria Shah who was taken from her Indian parents by authorities in Germany and sent to foster care, he said that he is personally looking into the matter and monitoring the situation.
The minister said that the girl has been given to child services and India is dissatisfied with this. He said that India doesn’t want her to be raised as per the German culture and her parents have moved to the court and the matter is being heard. Jaishankar added that at his level he has raised the issue with his German counterpart and India’s effort is to find some solutions. He mentioned that India has proved in the last ten years that democracy can deliver.
Jaishankar stated that despite the COVID-19 pandemic impeding growth, the world is astounded by India’s progress towards 7% growth. According to him, the world recognizes India’s technological prowess and thinks that the country, with the fastest-growing major economy, can drive global growth. He went on to say that international organizations like the UN are aware of India’s accomplishments in the social domain, including access to roads, electricity, water, health care, education, etc.
Finally, he said that India should realize that the world views us as significant and gifted individuals and expects India to contribute and overcome obstacles because we are the fifth largest economy, on the verge of becoming the third largest, and have the greatest population.
