The 2-year interval throughout which Greece will function a non-permanent member of the United Nations Safety Council (UNSC) started on January 1, 2025.
Athens introduced six most important priorities for the provisional membership interval:
Resolving issues by means of peaceable means Respecting worldwide regulation and the principles and ideas of the UN Constitution Empowering ladies for sustainable and lasting peace and improvement Combating local weather change and the safety dangers it creates Safety of kids in armed conflicts Security of navigation
For Türkiye, fixing issues by peaceable means, respecting the UN Constitution and navigation security are notably necessary.
These three gadgets entice consideration as a result of they’re straight linked to Turkish-Greek relations and the Cyprus downside.
Greece factors to worldwide regulation each in resolving the Cyprus downside and in resolving the variations arising from the Aegean and the Mediterranean, and accuses Turkey of violating these guidelines every now and then.
'Our goal is to maintain the Cyprus situation on the UN agenda'
In his statements to the Greek press relating to his nation's non permanent membership within the UN Safety Council, Greek Overseas Minister George Gerapetritis gave messages concerning the influence of this course of on Turkish-Greek relations and the Cyprus downside.
Gerapetritis stated, “After assuming our obligation on the UN Safety Council on January 1, our goal is to maintain the Cyprus situation on the energetic agenda of the UN.”
It is crucial that Greece's membership within the UN Safety Council begins at a time when worldwide stress is rising for the answer of the Cyprus downside by means of negotiations.
UN Secretary Common Antonio Guterres met with the administration of the Republic of Cyprus and Turkish Cypriot leaders in October 2024 and referred to as the events to the desk once more.
Gerapetritis famous that they’ll proceed to help Guterres' efforts.
Greece and the Republic of Cyprus are optimistic a few new answer course of throughout the UN parameters.
The administration in Türkiye and Northern Cyprus, alternatively, states that they don’t favor a system apart from equal sovereignty and equal worldwide standing.
The USA and the European Union additionally name for brand new negotiations to be began as quickly as attainable.
It’s evaluated {that a} new negotiation course of within the UN can solely start if each events approve, and that Greece's non permanent membership won’t have an effect on this example.
How are Aegean issues affected?
It’s a outstanding improvement that Greece offers a separate title to maritime navigation safety amongst its priorities.
Nevertheless, it’s going by means of a tension-free interval as a result of Turkish-Greek détente and elevated dialogue.
For that reason, feedback are being made that Athens' prioritization of maritime navigation safety on the UNSC is much less necessary than prior to now.
On this context, Greece acknowledged that it’ll work to implement the UN Conference on the Legislation of the Sea, which can also be an necessary supply of its official international coverage.
Türkiye is just not a celebration to this settlement dated 1982.
One of the controversial articles of the settlement is that it offers nations the authority to develop their territorial waters as much as 12 miles.
Türkiye had recorded with the choice of the Turkish Grand Nationwide Meeting that it could take into account Greece taking such a step within the Aegean as a trigger for conflict.
The Greek Minister of Overseas Affairs famous that the truth that the maritime borders weren’t drawn between Türkiye and Greece created a component of pressure, and argued that this situation might be resolved by taking it to worldwide arbitration by the 2 nations.
Ankara, which doesn’t settle for this place of Athens, states that every one interconnected issues arising from the Aegean needs to be addressed as a bundle and that the issue can’t be decreased to the dedication of territorial waters.
Turkish-Greek cooperation council will meet
The primary complete assembly relating to the Aegean points within the latest interval was mentioned through the go to of Minister of Overseas Affairs Hakan Fidan to Athens on November 8, 2024.
The events are anticipated to proceed these negotiations with a Excessive Stage Cooperation assembly to be held within the first months of 2025.
The assembly in query is deliberate to happen in Ankara in January or February below the management of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
At this assembly, the events are anticipated to take steps to additional their cooperation in areas the place latest progress has been made, particularly economic system, commerce, transportation, power and tourism.
In accordance with stories within the Greek media, Gerapetritis stated, “Our intention is to proceed to discover methods to additional strengthen our cooperation in step with the peace and prosperity of each peoples, earlier than the Excessive Stage Cooperation assembly to be held within the first months of 2025.”
How was Greece elected to the UNSC?
The UN Safety Council is probably the most highly effective decision-making physique of the UN.
Along with the 5 everlasting members of the UNSC (USA, Russia, China, England and France), there are 10 non permanent members who serve on a two-year rotation.
Provisional memberships are Africa-Asia; It’s distributed in 4 regional teams: Japanese Europe, Latin America, Western Europe and different nations.
Candidate nations from these areas are elected by receiving the votes of at the least two-thirds of the 193 member nations in a secret poll.
Greece, a candidate from Western Europe, was elected for a two-year time period by receiving the votes of 182 nations within the voting held in June 2024. Different nations chosen in the identical vote have been Pakistan, Panama, Denmark and Somalia.
Short-term members have the precise to vote at Safety Council conferences, however not like everlasting members, they don’t have the precise to veto.
Greece was final represented within the Safety Council in 2005-2006.
Türkiye had a brief seat within the UN Safety Council between 2009 and 2010.
Solely 4 years after his time period of workplace expired, he utilized for the 2015-2016 interval, however was eradicated as a result of he couldn’t discover the required majority.
