Luxembourg has backed India's long-standing demand for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel calling for reforms to make the powerful UN body more representative of today's geopolitical realities.
During his three-day official visit to India from September 7 to 9, Bettel questioned why a country of India's size and global importance does not have a permanent place on the Security Council.
He also called for changes to the Council's veto system, describing the existing arrangement as a legacy of the Second World War that no longer adequately reflects the modern international order.
Bettel Questions India’s Exclusion
Bettel argued that India should be among countries added to an expanded Security Council.
“If we say now, we need to have 10 members, because for me India belongs,” he said, according to ANI. He pointed to India's size and international importance while questioning why the country has not yet secured permanent membership.
Bettel also mentioned Brazil as another country that should receive stronger representation in an expanded Council.
His remarks represent support for India's position from another European country at a time when negotiations over UN reform remain politically difficult.
Luxembourg Seeks Veto Reform
Bettel's position goes beyond simply expanding permanent membership.
He criticised the current veto arrangement, under which any of the five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — can block a substantive Security Council resolution.
The Luxembourg foreign minister called the veto a “relic of the Second World War” and proposed a system under which a two-thirds majority could potentially override a veto.
Such a change would represent a fundamental alteration of the Council's decision-making structure and would require broad international agreement.
India Wants Permanent Seat
India has consistently argued that the Security Council must be restructured to reflect the world as it exists today rather than the balance of power that emerged after the Second World War.
The Council currently has 15 members, including five permanent members with veto power and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
India argues that its large population, economic weight, growing diplomatic influence and contributions to UN peacekeeping make a permanent seat appropriate.
New Delhi has also advocated greater representation for developing countries and the wider Global South.
1945 Order Under Pressure
India's argument centres on the dramatic transformation of the international system since the UN was founded.
During a UNSC Open Debate on Working Methods on August 19, India's Charge d’Affaires at the UN, Yojna Patel, said the need for reform had become “more pronounced and pressing than ever before”.
She pointed out that UN membership has grown substantially since 1945 and argued that the composition and procedures of the Security Council should not remain permanently tied to the geopolitical circumstances of that period.
The debate has gained renewed relevance as conflicts and geopolitical rivalries have exposed divisions within the existing Council.
Global South Seeks Voice
India's campaign is closely linked to a broader demand from developing countries for greater representation in global institutions.
Countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America have argued that the existing permanent membership structure does not adequately represent their interests.
India has built support for reform through partnerships with other countries seeking changes to the Council, while also highlighting its role in multilateral institutions and UN peacekeeping operations.
Bettel's explicit support for India adds to that international campaign.
Bettel’s India Visit
Bettel is in India from September 7 to 9 for an official visit that includes engagements in New Delhi and Chennai.
He is scheduled to visit the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, reflecting the broader scope of India-Luxembourg relations beyond diplomacy.
The two countries have increasingly explored cooperation in areas including technology, investment, education and innovation.
His comments on UNSC reform therefore come against a wider backdrop of bilateral engagement.
Reform Faces Major Hurdles
Despite growing calls for reform, securing permanent membership for India would require overcoming substantial diplomatic and institutional obstacles.
Any amendment to the UN Charter requires approval by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of UN member states, including all five permanent members of the Security Council.
The permanent members have different positions on the question of Council expansion and veto reform, while rival claims among aspiring members also complicate negotiations.
Luxembourg's support nevertheless strengthens India's diplomatic case for change.
For New Delhi, the immediate objective remains building wider international backing for a Security Council that reflects current global realities — with India arguing that its absence from permanent membership is increasingly difficult to justify.
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