India May Get Permanent UNSC Seat Post G20 Summit, Says US Ambassador Gracetti

India’s attempt to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council has been hampered by China, but on Saturday, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti expressed optimism that India would eventually win the coveted seat given how the world now views India’s leadership following the G20 New Delhi Summit.

However, he told UNI here that the United States strongly backs India’s proposal for the UN Security Council to be expanded.

“There are rules inside the United Nations, and we are very supportive of India in trying to get as many votes as they can to be able to have, but primarily it has been the objection of, unfortunately, another country (China), not the United States,” Garcetti said. “I think that more countries will see how important India’s leadership is after G20, and I would hope that will help India’s campaign to bring more and more supporters, and that one day soon we may be able to see that finally come to fruition,” he added.

China is the only one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to oppose India’s admission to the UN’s governing body.

“We need institutions to stay up with the times, and as new nations rise, we should see not just, I mean, we saw this at the BRICS Summit, not just groups of, smaller groups of countries, but the main one, the United Nations, should reflect equally the power and the importance of regions and countries,” Garcetti said.

“It’s been amazing. I’ve been very impressed. I’ve been impressed in different cities. I’ve been impressed with the geographical breadth, but I’ve also been impressed with the substantive depth, whether it’s technology, culture, trade, tourism, arts, security, homeland security. We looked at so many topics in 60 cities, and India has pulled off a beautiful, I think, convening of people from all around the world,” he added.

Talking on measures taken to curb terrorism he said, “We have never worked more closely together, whether it’s the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, sharing of intelligence, or standing against terrorism in world bodies. And we’ve been clear, whether it’s in India’s neighbor or whether it’s anywhere around the world, you know, there are limits to what we can do. We think that sanctions, sharing of intelligence, and demanding of international justice are the strongest ways forward,” he said. “But we stay engaged in Pakistan, one, because it’s important for the world, and it’s also important for India that we have influence, and we’ll continue being a voice, as we have powerfully in recent months, against terrorism and terrorists that would emanate from Pakistan that would affect India or any other country,” Garcetti added.

“We all believe very strongly in the freedom of speech. People can have opinions and should be able to express them when we agree with them or whether we disagree with them. But I would say this. Democracy and diversity are difficult, but they’re better than the alternative. I’d much rather live in a diverse country like India or the United States than one that only has one culture or religion or tradition,” he said.

“And I’d rather live in a democracy than live in an autocracy. And so I would hope that we have the space and the place to embrace dissent, to not ask people to not speak, but to use, I always said, the best way to fight speech that you don’t like is to use your right to speak out,” he added.

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