- Russia supports India's bid for a permanent UN Security Council seat at the UNGA
- Lavrov advocates broader representation for Asia, Africa, and Latin America members
- Russia opposes new Western seats, specifically against Germany and Japan's inclusion
Russia has backed India's bid for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council, aiming for the stronghold of the Global South bordering Western influence.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov advocated India's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, expressing support during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26.
Lavrov said, "We are in favour of broadening the representation of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We support Brazil's and India's candidatures for a permanent seat."
He said expanding representation to major developing countries reflected the emergence of a more multipolar world order.
Lavrov also opposed adding further Western countries, further saying, "UN Security Council reform cannot involve any additional seats being allocated to Western countries, especially to Germany and Japan, who are now on the path to militarism and revanchism."
At the same time, Lavrov said any reform of the Security Council should preserve the core powers and prerogatives of its existing permanent members. The Council currently has 15 members, comprising five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
Mauritius has also backed India's candidature for permanent membership. Mauritian Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful said his country supports the positions of the G4 and L69 groups on Security Council reform and reiterated its support for India.
The G4 (India, Brazil, Germany and Japan) has campaigned for permanent representation on the Security Council, while the L69 is a broader grouping of developing countries advocating reform of the Council.
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Despite Russia's backing, Security Council reform remains unresolved, with differences among existing permanent members and other UN member states. China, which has strategic ties with Russia, has maintained its opposition to India's inclusion as a permanent member.
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