Five new non-permanent members – Angola, Venezuela, Spain, Malaysia, and New Zealand – are beginning their working in the Security Council of the UN. They replace Australia, Argentina, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rwanda and will be represented in the key structure of the international organization till December 31st 2016.
There are five regional groups which delegate countries to non-permanent members: Asian-Pacific, African, Eastern European, Latin American, and Western European and other countries.
The last elections took place on October 16th and there was a struggle for two places only in the last group. Three countries were applicants – New Zealand, Spain, and Turkey. The first one easily got the necessary number of votes. In the second round Spain defeated Turkey by 132 to 60 votes.
The main sensation was the triumph of Venezuela. The President of the Latin American country stated that its non-permanent membership in the SC was an achievement of its predecessor – the late Hugo Chavez.
Washington expressed an official protest against Venezuela’s membership in the UN SC. According to the U.S. envoy to the UN, Karakas’s behavior did not meet the requirements of candidates for SC membership. The diplomat also criticized the group of Latin American countries which voted for Venezuela.
The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council will actively participate in searching for answers to challenges and threats in various spheres.
