US wants UN Security Council be made more inclusive

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar | (File image: Reuters)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Tuesday stressed the need for making the United Nations Security Council more inclusive.

"We recognize that to meet the challenges we face, members of the UN must not only uphold the charter, but also modernise the institution, including by making the Security Council more inclusive," Blinken told reporters at a joint news conference with visiting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

"That's why, in his address to the General Assembly, President (Joe) Biden expressed his support for increasing the number of both permanent and non-permanent representatives of the Security Council, a long-standing goal of India," he said.

"This includes permanent seats for those nations we've long supported, and permanent seats for countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean," the top American diplomat said.

Jaishankar, who arrived in the city from New York wherein he attended the UN General Assembly Sessions, said the reform of the UN is a particularly topical subject.

"We appreciate the positive approach of the US to this issue reflected in the position articulated by President Biden himself. We look forward to working with the US to take this further," he said.

"I also expressed appreciation at the strong cooperation that we have got from the US on the question of tackling international terrorism. In particular, I refer to the listing of well-known and wanted terrorists by the UN sanction process. In many other formats too, our two countries collaborate to keep the world safer and more secure," Jaishankar said.