Azerbaijan`s UN Security Council presidency ends

Azerbaijan`s presidency of the UN Security Council has finished. China`s permanent representative to the UN Li Baodong took over the presidency from his Azerbaijani counterpart Agshin Mehdiyev.

Baodong said China would fulfill its duty as a rotating president of the Council in a fair, neutral way, so as to effectively maintain international peace. The Council is expected to review some 30 issues, including those related to Syria, Sudan, South Sudan and the Middle East, as per its provisional work plan for June.

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security in the world. The Council presidency rotates among its members in the English alphabetical order of their names. Each president holds office for one calendar month. China previously assumed the presidency in March 2011.

The Security Council has 15 members, including five permanent members — China, Britain, France, Russia and the US. The 10 non-permanent members are elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms. Azerbaijan will take over the presidency of the Council for the next time in September, 2013.


/AzerTAc/