The US reaffirmed its support for permanent membership of the UN Security Council and its bid for nuclear weapons club NSG.
Washington:
The Biden administration has reaffirmed that it will support India’s permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council and New Delhi’s accession to the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group.
The US also commended India for its significant contributions as a member of the UN’s 15-strong highest decision-making body.
In a joint statement issued at the end of the 2+2 India-US ministerial meeting, the United States congratulated India on its significant contributions as a member of the United Nations Security Council (UN Security Council) for the period 2021 -2022.
In this regard, the US expressed its appreciation for India’s leadership as chairman of the three Security Council committees: the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee, the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee, and the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee.
Defense Secretary Rajnath Singh and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar led the Indian delegation for 2+2, while the US side was represented by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Foreign Secretary Tony Blinken.
“Ministers reiterated their commitment to cooperate closely in the UN Security Council and in international organizations. The US reaffirmed its continued support for India’s permanent membership of a reformed UN Security Council and for India’s accession to the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group” , the joint statement said. †
Given the increasing national security threats from both state and non-state malicious cyber actors, ministers recognized the importance of an open, interoperable, secure and reliable internet and stable cyberspace.
On Dec. 2, India said it remains in talks with members of the NSG to support an early decision on the country’s bid for membership in the group.
The 48-member NSG is an elite club of countries engaged in the trade in nuclear technology and fissile materials, as well as contributing to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
China, one of the five nuclear-weapon states, strongly opposes India’s NSG bid, mainly on the grounds that New Delhi is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The opposition has made India’s entry into the group more difficult as the NSG operates on the principle of consensus.
According to the joint statement, both sides reaffirmed the 2021 reports of the UN Open-Ended Working Group and the UN Group of Governmental Experts, which set out a framework for responsible state behavior in cyberspace and commit to working together in future multilateral negotiations. work to allow States to implement the framework.
They confirmed their intention to work closely together as part of the ongoing effort to counter the use of information communication technologies for criminal purposes.
Recognizing India’s distinguished history of leading peacekeeping missions, the United States welcomed India’s commitment to participate in multilateral peacekeeping training by 2022, expand joint capacity-building efforts with partners from third countries and establish a new joint National Investigation Officers Training of Trainers- launch course in partnership with the United Nations.
The four ministers called on the Taliban to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2593 (2021), which requires Afghan territory to never again be used to threaten or attack any country or to host terrorists. or train or plan or finance terrorist attacks.
They urged the Taliban to abide by these and all other obligations; respect the human rights of all Afghans, including women, children and members of minority groups; and to maintain freedom of travel. They also stressed the importance of an inclusive Afghan government and unimpeded access for the United Nations and its implementing partners to deliver humanitarian aid.
They pledged once again to conclude talks on Afghanistan to enable an inclusive and peaceful future for all Afghans.
Ministers called for an end to the violence in Myanmar, the release of all arbitrarily detained persons and a swift return to the path of democracy and inclusive governance, and also called for the urgent implementation of the ASEAN Five Point Consensus.
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