Visegrad Group backs India for permanent UN Security Council seat
Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have jointly backed India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council at their first V4+India foreign ministers' meeting.
The four-nation Visegrad Group (V4) has thrown its weight behind India's inclusion as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, with Slovakia's Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar stating that India "must be at the table" of the UN's top decision-making body.
The V4 comprises Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Blanar's remarks came after the first V4+India Foreign Ministers' Meeting, held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, under Slovakia's presidency of the grouping.
"We all agree as V4 countries that India, as a part of the Global South country, an upcoming superpower in the Indo-Pacific region, must be at the table as the permanent member of the UN Security Council," Blanar said following the meeting, which was chaired alongside External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Wider cooperation discussed
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the ministers explored ways to strengthen engagement between India and the Visegrad Group and noted the strong bilateral relations between India and each of the four countries.
The discussions spanned trade and investment, technology and innovation, resilient supply chains, defence and security, connectivity, education, mobility and people-to-people exchanges. The ministers also considered greater cooperation among businesses, academic and research institutions and other stakeholders from India and the V4 countries.
On global issues, they exchanged views on regional and international developments, peace and security and cooperation in multilateral forums, besides discussing reformed multilateralism and challenges affecting the Global South.
Jaishankar outlines areas of cooperation
Jaishankar said the V4+India format had agreed to deepen cooperation across several areas. In a post on X, he said the countries would work towards closer political cooperation, including annual meetings of foreign ministers, and deeper economic engagement through an annual business forum.
He also listed technology, innovation, research and education partnerships, defence cooperation, cultural ties and people-to-people relations among the areas identified for greater cooperation.
The MEA described the inaugural meeting as an important step in establishing engagement between India and the Visegrad Group at the foreign ministers' level. The format provides an additional platform for dialogue and cooperation, building on India's longstanding bilateral relations with Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.