Ukraine, Egypt, Japan, Senegal and Uruguay were announced on Thursday as the new non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
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Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin told TASS Thursday that the election of Ukraine and other four countries as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council was predictable in conditions of uncontested vote.
All five countries ran unopposed. So their election is virtually assured and the five countries will join the council for two-year terms starting on January 1.
Malaysia’s two-year term as a UNSC non-permanent member will expire at the end of 2016.
Russian Federation has been quietly campaigning against Ukraine, according to diplomats, but Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said he was “optimistic” about the vote, News.com.au reports.
Experts said it was likely Ukraine would also use its seat to argue for Security Council reform especially the veto vote held by permanent members. Russia’s ability to veto has led the council into more than 30 deadlocked meetings since the annexation of Crimea.
“Ukraine now does understand the value of peace struggling under Russian aggression”, Klimkin said.
Egypt is returning to the council for the sixth time as Yemen, Libya, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories join Syria on the list of Middle East crisis spots. Though Japan remains committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes, global development, and foreign economic assistance, Japan’s government has taken a more robust political posture in a number of disputes with Mainland China.
Five non-permanent members are elected every year. Russia’s United Nations Ambassador Vitaly Churkin declined to comment on how Moscow would interact with Ukraine on the council. Japan seeks to play a leading role in the Security Council’s work in the coming two years, both on worldwide challenges like the Syrian conflict and on matters closer to home, such as dealing with North Korea.
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Ukraine’s bonds do not have cross-default clauses, meaning holders of one bond cannot sink the entire restructuring deal if those holding other issues vote in favor of the swap.
