Azerbaijan becomes member of UN Security Council

Azerbaijan becomes new non-permanent member of United Nations Security Council. First time in history, the country will fill a seat in the 15-member executive body for the period of 2 years.

Azerbaijan claimed the non-permanent seat, awarded to an Eastern European country, on the 17th round of balloting after it scored 155 votes from United Nations Member States in the General Assembly – well clear of the necessary two-thirds majority of States present and voting. Slovenia received 13 votes and Hungary one vote.

Besides Azerbaijan, 193 members of the General Assembly also chose Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo last week.  These five countries will hold their seats for 2 years from January 1, 2011 and thereby replace countries, whose mandates end by the end of this year (Bosnia, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria).

The five new members will join Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal and South Africa, whose terms end on 31 December 2012, and the five permanent Council members, which each wield the power of veto – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

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