Germany kicked off its campaign to win a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Germany, which has held the two-year post five times over the past four decades, is aiming to be back on the council in 2019-2020. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told diplomats at UN headquarters that the United Nations provided the framework needed to address global challenges, the (dpa) reported.  "I believe that in these crisis-ridden times, this international cooperation is more important than ever," he said. 

"We want to stand up to face up to our responsibility of hard work towards peace and justice in these turbulent times." The foreign minister said Germany was ready to contribute to the council's work through sharing its expertise as a global leader in conflict resolution.

Germany is running on the platform of promoting peace, justice, innovation and partnership. Israel and Belgium, which belong to the same regional group as Germany, have also signaled their interest in running for the two seats that are opening up at the end of 2018. The Security Council has 10 non-permanent members and five veto-wielding permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the US. 

Source : QNA