TURKEY WINS SEAT ON UN SECURITY COUNCIL
by Dragana IgnjatoviÄ
World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
October 20, 2008
On Friday (17 October), Turkey, along with Austria, Japan, Uganda,
and Mexico, was awarded one of the five rotating seats on the
15-seat United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2009 and 2010
sessions. Turkey won 151 votes in the General Assembly vote, easily
surpassing the two-thirds majority (128 votes) required in the 192-seat
assembly, gaining a non-permanent seat on the UNSC’s Western European
and Others Group. Turkey, which last held a seat on the UNSC in 1961,
will take its seat on 1 January 2009.
Significance:Turkey’s victory is a significant coup for Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo an and his government, as they have been
intensely lobbying for the privilege since July 2003. Opposition
leader Deniz Baykal even put aside his Republican People’s Party
(CHP)’s contentious relationship with the government to commend
the success. The UNSC is the main decision-making centre of the
international organisation, having the power to impose sanctions and
dispatch peace-keepers. Turkey’s seat on the UNSC could place the
country in a potentially difficult position, especially if it is asked
to vote on issues close to home, such as putting Iran under sanctions
over its nuclear programme. Nevertheless, Turkey has made a concerted
effort in recent years to maintain and improve relations with its
neighbours in a bid to win the seat, making it adept at navigating
the "middle path." As a result, Turkey has become an increasingly
active participant in the Middle East, thawing its relations with
Armenia, supporting efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus issue,
and mediating between Syria and Israel. It is likely that Turkey’s
two years on the UNSC will be used to perfect its skills at mediating
between contending parties.
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