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Ukraine may become UN Security Council non-permanent member in 2016

“There are no other candidates for this seat except Ukraine," Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said

MOSCOW, September 10. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine may become a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council in 2016 when this position becomes vacant, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said on Wednesday.

“I think they [Ukrainians] will take this position in 2016,” he told Rossiya 24 television.

“Ukraine stated its interest in becoming a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council in 2016-2017a long time ago. There is the procedure in the U.N.: there are five regional groups, including an East European one, each of which has a fixed number of seats. The East European group always has one seat among the non-permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. It is currently occupied by Lithuania that will vacate it next year,” Churkin said.

“There are no other candidates for this seat except Ukraine. If no other candidates appear, it [Ukraine] will easily get 129 votes at the U.N. General Assembly, which are required for election as a non-permanent member, and will hold this position for two years,” he said.

He hopes that by that time “our relations with Ukraine will normalise and we will calmly cooperate with the Ukrainian delegation to the U.N. Security Council for the sake of international peace and security,” Churkin said.