United Nations General Assembly: Turkey Calls for Abolishing Veto Privileges of the Five Permanent Members; India’s “Permanent Membership” Gains Support from Four European Countries
To this day, certain states continue to feign ignorance about the origins of the so-called “privileges” held by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
On the 22nd, Turkish President Erdoğan published an article in Bloomberg reiterating his call to abolish the veto power within the UN Security Council.
The use of the term “again” is warranted, as Erdoğan has been advocating since at least 2021 that the current structure of the Security Council—particularly the privileged status of its five permanent members—no longer meets the demands of global governance, and has consistently called for institutional reform and the elimination of the veto rights held by these members.
Yet the irony remains: under the provisions of the UN Charter, any such reform would require unanimous consent from all five permanent members. Clearly, none of them would endorse a proposal that undermines their own authority.
In fact, in 2021, Putin indirectly responded to Erdoğan’s position by stating that abolishing the veto power of the five permanent members would result in the United Nations’ “dissolution on the same day.”
This is not the end of the matter. Alongside Erdoğan’s renewed demand for the abolition of the veto, India’s media outlet *The Indian Express* reported on the 22nd that four European countries—Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic—have expressed support for India’s bid to become a permanent member of the Security Council.
India’s pursuit of permanent membership is a recurring topic, raised annually with little progress. The reason is straightforward: while the five permanent members often disagree on various issues, they remain united in opposing the admission of any sixth state into the permanent category. As such, India’s aspirations for permanent membership are likely to remain unfulfilled.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1877027471461376/
Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author.