Iran welcomes Kazakhstan’s election to UN Security Council

Iran welcomes the election of Kazakhstan as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, saying Astana has great capacities and can play a positive role in the world body.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Monday that Kazakhstan secured a seat on the UN Security Council for 2017-2018 and will become the first Central Asian country to join the international body.

“With various crises ongoing on the international scene, Kazakhstan is capable of playing a positive role in the United Nations Security Council,” he added.

On June 28, Kazakhstan beat Thailand in a second round of voting and was elected to the United Nations Security Council to join Sweden, Ethiopia and Bolivia for a two-year term starting on January 1, 2017. The 193-member UN General Assembly elected Kazakhstan with 138 votes in favor over Thailand.

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev on June 29 hailed the country’s election as non-permanent member of the Security Council as “historic achievement.”

“This is not only our country’s success but that of the entire subregion of Central Asia, which had never been represented in the body responsible for international peace and security,” Nazarbayev said.

SS