India and Africa on Wednesday declared their support to each other for a permanent seat in the expanded United Nations Security Council and favoured reforms of the world body to make it more representative and democratic.
"We are ready to pitch for reform of the UN Security Council to make it more representative, to make it more democratic," Jakaya Kikwete, President of Tanzania as also the African Union, said in his closing remarks at the India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi.
A declaration adopted at the two-day summit, attended by 14 heads of government of African nations, noted the active and constructive engagement of both sides in the process of reform of the UN.
"We agree to further strengthen cooperation between our two sides towards early realisation of a genuine reform of the UN and its working methods, particularly revitalising and enhancing the role of the General Assembly and reform and
expansion of the Security Council," it said.
Condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the two sides said they sought compliance of member states with all international terrorism conventions and related protocols and Security Council resolutions on counter-terrorism.
"We also agree to make concerted efforts towards expeditious finalisation of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the UN," they said.
India and Africa also called for negotiation of specific steps that would reduce and finally eliminate nuclear weapons, thereby leading to a world free from all weapons of mass destruction.
