UN Security Council Reform Discussions Set for December

MOSCOW, September 29. /TASS/. The issue of reforming the UN Security Council will be discussed by the end of this year as part of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) framework, which is scheduled to take place in December, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov said in an interview with Izvestia.

"It is important to note that a dedicated format - the Intergovernmental Negotiations - has been established to discuss issues related to reforming the UN Security Council. These negotiations have been held since 2009 within the framework of the General Assembly’s plenary sessions," the diplomat recalled. "The previous round of the Intergovernmental Negotiations concluded in July, and the next round is tentatively scheduled to begin in December," he pointed out.

At the same time, Alimov emphasized that "there is no question of Moscow blocking any reform initiatives, as discussions within the framework of the Intergovernmental Negotiations have not yet reached an advanced stage." "No models have yet emerged that would enjoy universal support from the international community and could serve as a basis for future reform," the deputy foreign minister explained.

For his part, Russian Foreign Ministry’s International Organizations Department Director Kirill Logvinov noted in an interview with TASS ahead of the Russian delegation’s participation in the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week that, in the search for a universal solution to the issue of reforming the world organization, "we must proceed carefully, step by step, bringing us closer to narrowing differences and finding common ground." According to him, the Intergovernmental Negotiations are still the most appropriate and effective format.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized at UN General Assembly events that the world organization must adapt to new realities by including additional representatives from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, but not by creating new "Western seats" on the Security Council. According to the top diplomat, Russia, for its part, expects the newly elected chief of the organization to not undermine the intergovernmental nature of the UN or erode the prerogatives of the Security Council and its permanent members.