Hungary, Eritrea back India's bid for permanent UNSC seat

NEW DELHI: Hungary and Eritrea have backed India's claim for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban conveyed the European nation's unequivocal support for India's permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council during a meeting with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna in Budapest yesterday.

Orban also expressed keen desire for intensification of economic engagement with India, an External Affairs Ministry statement said here today.

He also conveyed to Krishna that he intended to pay a bilateral visit to India at an early date.

Highlighting the need for regular high level dialogue, Orban renewed the invitations extended by Hungary to Indian leaders to visit Hungary on mutually convenient dates.

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh offered his country's "unqualified support" for India's candidature for a permanent UNSC seat during his meeting with Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur in Delhi yesterday.

He welcomed India's re-emergence as a major economic, political and technological power, the statement said.

"He also commended India's institutionalised engagement with African partners through the consensual, consultative and responsive mechanism put in place under the rubric of the India-Africa Forum Summit," it added.