Biden's support for giving India a permanent seat in the Security Council, NSG

(PTI) Washington, Dt

US President Joe Biden, during his first personal bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi at the White House, endorsed India's permanent membership in the United Nations and India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group. A joint statement issued after the two leaders' meeting at the White House said that President Biden had praised India's strong leadership of the Security Council in a meeting with PM Modi in August 2021. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi raised the issue of H-1B visas at the meeting. India and the US also criticized cross-border terrorism.

A joint statement issued after the meeting between Biden and Modi said that President Biden had endorsed the need for reform in the UN Security Council and India's permanent membership in it. With Biden's support, India's efforts to reform the Security Council have gained momentum. India has been aggressively demanding long-pending reforms in this powerful UN unit. The United Nations Security Council currently has five permanent and 10 non-permanent members, elected by the General Assembly for a two-year term. Standing members include Russia, Britain, the United States, France and China.

The joint statement further said that during the meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Biden also endorsed India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The NSG is a group of six countries that control global nuclear trade. When India applied for NSG membership in 2013, China objected, saying the group should include only those countries that have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

In a joint statement, India and the United States called for concrete action against all terrorist groups, including all the 12 banned by the United Nations Security Council. He criticized cross-border terrorism and demanded appropriate punishment for the perpetrators of the 9/11 Mumbai attacks. Pakistan-based terrorist Maulana Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawa is the main organization of Lashkar-e-Toiba spreading terrorism in India. The group had hatched a conspiracy to carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. India has repeatedly called on Pakistan to take action against the conspirators, including Hafiz Saeed. The United States has announced a કરોડ 10 million reward for information leading to the capture of Hafiz Saeed.

Meanwhile, during the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of the most popular H-1B visa for Indian businessmen to enter the United States. Modi praised President Biden's efforts on the issue. Modi also lauded the contribution of Indian businessmen in strengthening India-US bilateral relations. "Indian professionals make a significant contribution to America's social security," he said.