[ad_1]
New Delhi [India]January 1 (ANI): French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain on Friday welcomed India’s new mandate to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a period of two years.
“France welcomes India to join the UNSC for the next two years. We look forward to working side by side to uphold international law, fight terrorism and uphold multilateralism,” Lenain tweeted.
The Council is composed of 15 members. Five permanent members (P-5) are China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly (with the year ending of the term).
On January 1, 2021, India will begin its eighth term as a non-permanent and voting member of the UNSC. India’s last term on the UN Security Council was in the year 2011-2012.
India and France share the same vision of a new balanced multipolar world, which must be based on the rule of law. They also share the same vision on the main challenges of the time, be it security developments in Asia and the Indo-Pacific, or the fight against international terrorism.
“To this end, we also need a reform of the UN Security Council that gives India a permanent seat!” Lenain added.
Coincidentally, France was the first P-5 country to support India’s claim for a permanent seat in an expanded and reformed UNSC. India and France in the past had jointly called for a reform of the UN Security Council that would allow India to obtain a permanent seat on it. (AND ME)
