Turkiye President Backs India's Permanent Membership in UNSC

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come out in support of India becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Speaking on the matter on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi on Sunday, Erdogan emphasised that it would be a "proud" moment for his country if India were granted permanent membership of the global body.

"We would be proud if a country such as India became a permanent member of the UN Security Council. As you know, the world is bigger and larger than five," he said referring to the Security Council's five permanent members at present - the US, the UK, France, China, and Russia. "We don't want to have just these five countries in the Security Council," he added.

Erdogan's remarks are an important development for India since he is better known for backing India's arch-rival Pakistan on subjects New Delhi considers to be "internal matters", such as the Kashmir issue.

G-20 Summit in New Delhi

PM Modi Pushes For UN Reforms at G-20 Summit in Delhi

10 September 2023, 17:12

Modi reminded world leaders gathered in the Indian capital that although the membership of the UN has grown to more than 200 from only 51 members when it was founded more than 75 years ago, the permanent members of the UNSC have remained unchanged.

At present, China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US are the five permanent members of the UNSC but there are 10 non-permanent members which change after every two years.

"In order to take the world towards a better future, it is necessary that the global systems reflect present realities. Today, the 'United Nations Security Council' is also an example of this. When the UN was established, the world was completely different from what it is today. At that time there were 51 founding members in the UN. Today the number of countries included in the UN is around 200," the Indian leader said.

"Despite this, the number of permanent members in the UNSC remains the same. The world has since changed a lot in every aspect. Be it transport, communication, health, and education - every sector has been transformed. These new realities should be reflected in our new global structure," he added.

Turkish President Backs India's Bid for Permanent UNSC Membership