(MENAFN) Russia has expressed support for broadening the UN Security Council to incorporate additional countries, according to Russia’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, who spoke on Sunday.

Addressing the 7th Summit of the African Union Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government (C10) in New York, Polyansky emphasized that reforming the council remains a primary focus for Moscow.

He argued that its membership “should reflect the multipolar nature of the world rather than remind us of the global colonial past.”

Polyansky stated, “We support the extension of the Council by including in it African, Asian and Latin American countries, since the representation thereof in the Council does not reflect anymore their increased role in the international affairs.”

The African Union’s Committee of Ten, responsible for coordinating Africa’s stance on Security Council reform, has long pushed for at least two permanent and two non-permanent African seats. Currently, Africa’s non-permanent members are Algeria, Sierra Leone, and Somalia.

He also advocated for a “compact” council to maintain its capacity to react swiftly to global crises and cautioned against increasing Western representation, which he argued could destabilize the council’s balance.

Polyansky further encouraged African nations not to yield to “persuasion, promises, and compromises” from countries aiming to maintain “neocolonial dominance.”

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