On UNSC membership, Turkiye President Erdogan says world bigger than 5 countries

NEW DELHI: Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan backed India's candidature for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, saying the world is not restricted only to its five permanent members.
Despite the friction in ties because of Turkiye's support to Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, Modi had his second bilateral meeting with Erdogan in the past two years on the margins of the G20 summit.He last met Erdogan on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Samarkand in 2022.
"We would be proud if a country like India became a permanent member of the UN Security Council. As you know, the world is bigger and larger than five," Erdogan told a news agency. "And when we say the world is larger than five, what we mean is that it's not only about the US, UK, France, China and Russia. We don't want to have just these five countries on the Security Council," he added.
Erdogan, however, also called for rotational membership for all members. "Right now, there are 15 members in the UNSC - five permanent and 10 by rotation. What we propose is that all of them should be permanent members. All nations should have an opportunity to be a member of the UN body by rotation. As of now, the UN has 195 member countries. So, we propose a rotational mechanism whereby each and every member, every single one of the 195 member countries, can potentially become a member (UNSC). This is what we propose," he said.
"What the five members say should not determine the voice of the whole world. All 195 member countries, without making any distinction between permanent and non-permanent, should potentially be able to become a member of the Security Council. Only then will the whole world be happy," the Turkish President added.
In their last meeting in Samarkand, both leaders had agreed to maintain regular contact not just on bilateral issues but also for the benefit of the region. Turkiye aggressively backed Pakistan's case at the UN after India revoked the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. It seems to have toned down the rhetoric now, although it was among the countries which skipped the G20 meeting in Kashmir under India's presidency.
According to Indian authorities, the discussions covered bilateral cooperation on trade and investment, defence and security, civil aviation and shipping. Erdogan also thanked India for prompt relief after the earthquake in Turkiye in February 2023.