V4 countries back India’s bid for permanent UN Security Council seat
- Dr. Jaishankar strengthens India’s ties with EU, Visegrád Group at UNGA81
- India, V4 agree on annual business forum and deeper Economic, defence and technology cooperation
During the 81st United Nations General Assembly high-level week in New York, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar held a series of diplomatic meetings with European Union counterparts, focusing on bilateral cooperation, developments in the Gulf, the Ukraine conflict and the Indo-Pacific.
Jaishankar also hosted the first V4+India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, bringing together foreign ministers from the four Visegrád Group countries — Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The meeting brought together Poland’s Radosław Sikorski, Hungary’s Anita Orbán, Slovakia’s Juraj Blanár and Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka. The participants agreed to strengthen cooperation through annual foreign ministers’ meetings and a dedicated business forum, while expanding ties in technology, defence and culture.
Jaishankar also co-chaired a summit focused on reforming and strengthening multilateral institutions, reflecting India’s emphasis on a more representative international system.
The diplomatic engagements at UNGA81 combined India’s bilateral outreach with broader discussions on global governance, regional security and economic cooperation, particularly with European partners.
The V4, comprising Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, have collectively backed India’s bid for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council, during the first high-level Visegrád Group (V4)-India foreign ministers’ meeting held on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.
The V4 held its first ministerial-level meeting with India in the new V4+India format. Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said the four countries agreed that India, as a major country of the Global South and an emerging power in the Indo-Pacific, should have a permanent seat on the UN’s top decision-making body.
Dr S. Jaishankar described the meeting as a “new historic occasion” and said the discussions covered political, economic and defence cooperation, technology and innovation, space, connectivity, culture and people-to-people ties. The ministers also exchanged views on major global developments, including the Ukraine conflict and developments in the Gulf.
India and the V4 countries agreed to establish annual meetings of foreign ministers and create an annual business forum to deepen economic ties. They also agreed to reinvigorate defence cooperation and expand collaboration in technology, innovation, culture and people-to-people relations.
Jaishankar said India sees the four Central European countries as partners with significant industrial, technological and innovation capabilities, adding that New Delhi welcomed greater engagement with the V4.
The four countries’ backing adds to India’s longstanding campaign for reform of the Security Council and permanent membership. The Council currently has five permanent members, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. India also launched its campaign in July for a non-permanent Security Council seat for 2028-29.
The V4+India meeting therefore combined diplomatic support for India’s UN reform agenda with a broader framework for economic, defence, technology and cultural cooperation between India and the four Central European countries.
