India’s long-standing campaign for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council received fresh diplomatic support from four Central European nations. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — members of the Visegrad Group (V4) — expressed collective backing for India’s inclusion as a permanent member during the first V4+India foreign ministers’ meeting.
The meeting took place on September 21, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar represented India and met his counterparts from the four countries under Slovakia’s current presidency of the V4.
Clear Endorsement from the Visegrad Group
Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanár, speaking after the talks, articulated the group’s unified position:
“We all agree as V4 countries that India, as a part of the Global South, upcoming superpower in the Indo-Pacific region, must be at the table as the permanent member of the UN Security Council.”
Jaishankar shared the remarks on X and described the inaugural meeting as a “new historic occasion,” noting that discussions had been highly productive.
Broader Agreements on Cooperation
Beyond the Security Council issue, the ministers agreed to deepen engagement across multiple areas. Key outcomes include:
Holding annual foreign ministers’ meetings
Establishing an annual India-V4 Business Forum to boost trade and investment
Strengthening cooperation in technology, innovation, research, education, defence, space, connectivity and people-to-people ties
The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global developments, peace and security, multilateral cooperation and the concerns of the Global South.
India has long argued that the UN Security Council’s current structure — with five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and 10 non-permanent members — does not reflect contemporary geopolitical realities. New Delhi is part of the G4 grouping (with Brazil, Germany and Japan) that supports each other’s bids for permanent seats and advocates expansion of the Council.
The collective endorsement from the V4 adds another European voice to the growing list of countries supporting India’s candidacy. While such political backing does not by itself alter the formal reform process — which requires broad consensus and amendments to the UN Charter — it strengthens India’s diplomatic position at a time when calls for reformed multilateralism continue to gain momentum.
The first V4+India ministerial meeting marks a structured framework for engagement with the four Central European nations. Officials on both sides view it as an opportunity to build on existing bilateral relationships and expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including high-tech manufacturing, resilient supply chains and defence.
As the UN General Assembly high-level week continues, the V4’s clear statement of support provides India with additional momentum in its push for a more representative and inclusive United Nations Security Council.