India’s UN seat push gets a 4-nation European lift

India's push for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council has gained fresh diplomatic backing as four Central European countries expressed support for New Delhi's call to join the group of five veto-wielding members.

Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic - the four members of the regional Visegrad Group (V4) - have voiced support for India's Security Council bid during the first ever V4-India foreign ministers' meeting in New York, which was held in parallel with the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said his country and regional allies were "united in our understanding that India should become a permanent member of the UN Security Council," adding that New Delhi was "an important power from the Global South and the emerging power in the Indo-Pacific region."