Hours after India got elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (June 18) tweeted that he is “deeply grateful for the overwhelming support” of the nations that voted in support of India.
“Deeply grateful for the overwhelming support shown by the global community for India's membership of the UN Security Council. India will work with all member countries to promote global peace, security, resilience and equity,” tweeted PM Modi.
Deeply grateful for the overwhelming support shown by the global community for India's membership of the @UN Security Council. India will work with all member countries to promote global peace, security, resilience and equity.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 18, 2020
India was elected unopposed as one of the non-permanent member of the UNSC after winning 184 votes in the 193-member General Assembly. The minimum requirement to get elected was 128 votes.
India will sit in the powerful UNSC for a two-year term beginning on January 1, along with the five permanent members China, France, Russia, UK and the US as well as non-permanent members Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam.
India has served seven times earlier as non-permanent member of the UNSC in 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and 2011-2012.
“We have received overwhelming support and we we deeply humbled by the tremendous confidence that the member states of the United Nations have reposed in India,” T S Tirumurti, the Indian permanent representative to the UN said in a video-recorded message.
“India will become a member of the United Nations Security Council at a critical juncture and we are confident than in the Covid- and the post-Covid world India will continue to provide leadership and a new orientation for a reformed multilateral system,” he added.
India was elected unopposed as it was the only candidate in the Asia-Pacific Group (APG). Notably, India's election to the UNSC was endorsed in June 2019 by the APG after Afghanistan gave up its seat for India.
