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Azerbaijan assuming UN SC presidency

Azerbaijan on Tuesday is assuming presidency in the UN Security Council in May

UNITED NATIONS, May 1 (Itar-Tass) — Azerbaijan on Tuesday is assuming presidency in the UN Security Council in May. It has taken over the presidency from the United States that chaired the UN body in April, and in a month will hand it over to China.

Azerbaijan for the first time ever was elected to the UN Security Council at the elections held in the UN General Assembly in October 2011, along with Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo. On January 1, 2012 the republic got the authority of a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

Under the UN Charter, the UN Security Council is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is composed of five permanent members - China, Russia, the UK, the United States and France, as well as 10 non-permanent members, elected for a term of two years. The candidates for election to the Council are presented by the so-called regional groups. Azerbaijan was nominated by the East European States’ group. The elections are held by secret ballot. In contrast to the Council’s “big five,” the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council have no right of veto. On January 1, 2012, Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo joined the second “five” of non-permanent members - Columbia, Germany, Portugal, India and South Africa the terms of which expire next year.

The UN Security Council presidency is exercised by its member States in turn in an alphabetical order. The presiding state holds this position for one calendar month.

Each member of the UN Security Council shall have one vote. Decisions on the rules of procedure shall be made by an affirmative vote of at least nine of the 15 members. The approval of resolutions also requires nine votes, but on the condition that none of the five permanent Council members uses the veto right.

In accordance with the UN Charter, all UN member states must comply with the UN Security Council decisions.

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