External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said that India and Africa can no longer be excluded from their rightful place of permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

“How can we expect legitimacy from a governance structure that excludes the entire African continent and a country, which represents one-sixth of humanity? The 70th session of the UN General Assembly is an opportune moment to achieve concrete results on this long pending issue,” the Minister said in her statement at the Third India-Africa Forum Summit meeting here.

The Minister added that India welcomes the progress achieved during the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly under the leadership of Sam Kutesa towards commencing text-based negotiations. “We look forward to working together in an active negotiating process to take this forward,” Swaraj said.

Making a strong case for permanent membership of the Security Council for India and Africa, the Minister said that although Indians and Africans comprise nearly 2.5 billion people, the two nations continue to be excluded from appropriate representation in institutions of global governance.

“Unless we put in place more democratic global governance structures, the more equitable and just international security and development frameworks that are essential for the collective peace and prosperity of this planet, will continue to elude us. There can no longer be pockets of prosperity in vast areas of underdevelopment and insecurity,” the Minister said.

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