'We Certainly Support...': US Reacts To Elon Musk's Remark On Permanent UNSC Seat For India

We support reforms to the UN institution, said US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel. (Reuters File Photo)

In January this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk called India not having a permanent seat in the UNSC as 'absurd'

The United States on Wednesday offered support for reforms to the United Nations institutions, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel informed.

Responding to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s statement regarding India’s lack of a permanent seat at the UNSC, Vedant Patel said, “The President has spoken about this before in his remarks to the UN General Assembly and the Secretary has alluded to this as well.”

“We certainly support reforms to the UN institution, including the Security Council, to make it reflective of the 21st-century world that we live in. I don’t have any specifics to offer on what those steps are, but certainly, we recognise that there is a need for reform, but I will leave it at that for now,” he added.

Earlier in January this year, Musk called India not having a permanent seat in the UNSC as ‘absurd’ and said that nations with excess power don’t want to relinquish it.

“At some point, there needs to be a revision of the UN bodies. The problem is that those with excess power don’t want to give it up. India not having a permanent seat on the Security Council, despite being the most populous country on Earth, is absurd. Africa collectively should also have a permanent seat IMO,” the Tesla CEO wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

India has been seeking a permanent seat on the Security Council for a long time now to better represent the interests of the developing world. Notably, the country has gained momentum in its demand after it received support from the international community.

(With inputs from agency)