UAE backs India's bid for permanent UNSC seat

ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates on Monday said that it fully backed India's bid for permanent membership in the reformed United Nations Security Council.

India has always maintained that a seat on the council would reflect the importance of the G20 nation as its trillion dollar economy helps stimulate global growth.

Recently, the UAE backed India's nomination as a non-permanent member of the UNSC.

The issue of support at the UNSC came up during President Pratibha Devisingh Patil's meeting with her UAE counterpart Shekh khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nayhan on Monday.

President Patil is in the UAE from November 21-25 and this is her first State Visit to a Gulf State.

"The President thanked His Highness for UAE's support for India's recent election to the non-permanent seat of the Security Council and sought continued support for a permanent seat for India on an expanded UNSC," said Latha Reddy, Secretary East in the Ministry of External Affairs.

"His Highness stated that the UAE would certainly support India, which had the right to be a permanent member of reformed UN Security Council," she told reporters here.

Latha Reddy said that discussions were also held on the need for enhanced security cooperation particularly to address issues relating to counter terrorism and maritime security.

"Our President emphasized that the agreement on security cooperation should be signed as early as possible by the concerned ministries on both side," Latha Reddy said.

The UAE is a significant trading and energy security partner, and bilateral trade was valued at 43.4 billion dollar in 2009-10. In 2009-10, the UAE had emerged as India's top export destination, accounting for 13.41 per cent of the country's total exports. The country is also among the top five suppliers of crude oil to India.