Developing states of Africa, Asia and Latin America should have a wider representation in the UN Security Council in order to make this body’s policy less West-centric, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, TASS reports.
"Yes, there is a need to adapt the UN, the UN Security Council to the new reality, because there are not 50 states now, as it was at the moment of the establishment of the UN, and not 70 states, as it was during the extension of the UN Security Council from 12 to 15 members, but many more: there are 193 UN member states now. Naturally, developing countries are completely justified in their demands to increase their representation in this important UN agency," he noted.
According to Lavrov, Western policy is currently represented by six Security Council members out of 15.
"And when Japan is elected, it becomes the seventh voice in support of Western policy, promoted via the UN Security Council. Of course, the West should not be given more seats in this body, while African, Asian and Latin American countries definitely should," he noted.
Commenting on a statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said that the fate of humanity must not be left to the whim of a "bunch" of countries who won World War II, Lavrov noted:
"President Erdogan’s eloquence is well known; he speaks freely on various topics. I agree with him that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council have no right to dictate the fate of the world, but they do not aspire to. They only claim the powers stipulated in the UN Charter. The Charter reflects the collective will of all members of the international community, and the Five is particularly responsible for the situation in the world - most importantly, for avoiding a global conflict."
"We have been able to do that for over 75 years, and I hope that this situation will remain," the top diplomat said.
