Kolkata
Belgium’s former Prime Minister, Yves Leterme, has strongly advocated for India’s permanent inclusion in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), asserting that this move is essential for enhancing the council’s legitimacy and representation in the 21st century. Leterme emphasized the need for the UNSC to adapt to current realities, praising India’s geopolitical stature under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
In an interview, Leterme commended India’s new connectivity initiative, the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), highlighting its complementary nature to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He stressed the importance of rebalancing roles in multilateral institutions after the Ukraine-Russian conflict, urging greater participation from rising nations like India, Brazil, and African nations.
Leterme emphasized the necessity for a reset in multilateral institutions to address evolving global power dynamics, advocating for a more equitable distribution of roles. He expressed support for India’s bid for permanent UNSC membership, stating that the legitimacy of the Security Council’s work would be enhanced by including India and Brazil, making it more representative of the current global landscape.
Discussing the IMEC Project, Leterme dismissed notions of competition with China’s BRI, emphasizing the collaborative aspect of the new initiative. He called for improved EU connectivity with Asia, suggesting increased investment in infrastructure links to strengthen ties between the two regions.
Leterme praised India’s progress under Modi’s leadership, acknowledging its growing role as a trustworthy partner in geopolitics. Regarding the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the EU, he emphasized the EU’s interest in concluding the FTA and called for increased EU investment in its partnership with India, stressing the need for coordination in multilateral frameworks and a non-aligned role for India.
