Germany and Japan will never become permanent members of the UN Security Council, according to Russia’s envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia.
January will usher in a new round of discussions regarding Security Council reform, but some of the initiatives are “quite naive and impractical,” said Nebenzia.
“There are countries competing for a seat on the Security Council that will never get it, we have already said this directly,” he stated.
“Specifically, Germany and Japan. They will not have a permanent seat on the Security Council.”
“There cannot be a reform that is not supported by the majority of member states,” he added.
London has previously stated its desire to see permanent seats for Germany, Japan, India, Brazil, and similar representation for Africa.
Reform of the Security Council would require that all five permanent members with veto power, as well as two-thirds of UN member states, vote in favor of the amendment, according to Article 108 of the organization’s Charter.
Russia, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France are the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Non-permanent members are elected on a rotating basis for two-year terms. On Thursday, Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia were voted in as new non-permanent members, joining Algeria, Guyana, South Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia.
Last year, Russia’s Foreign Ministry declared that Moscow supports the expansion of the Security Council to include countries from the Global South.
“Our country has consistently supported and continues to support the expansion of the UN Security Council to include developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America,” said Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
