Next week the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis moves to New York, as Greece claims its third participation (after the two years 1952-1953 and 2005-2006), with the status of a non-permanent member state, in the UN Security Council during the period 2025-2026 in the vote that will take place on Thursday June 6th in the General Assembly hall.

As part of his trip to New York, the foreign minister will attend the process of Greece’s election to the Security Council and will have meetings with his counterparts from Denmark, Pakistan, Somalia and Panama. These are countries that are also candidates for non-permanent member state positions and will be elected, as candidate countries are equal in number to positions.

On the eve of the election, on Wednesday June 5th, a reception is planned, where the foreign ministers of the candidate countries will have the opportunity to address a greeting.

THE Giorgos Gerapetritis will also meet with the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterreswith whom they are expected to discuss, among other things, Greece’s participation in the Security Council, as well as the progress of the contacts of the Secretary-General’s envoy for the Cyprus problem, Maria Angela Holgin, with the two sides in Cyprus.

Greek diplomacy will claim the largest possible number of votes in the election process. Greece wants a high voter turnout, as this testifies to the momentum and support each country receives in the Security Council.

Greece will begin its term in the Security Council on January 1, 2025. Until then, our country’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, is expected to take part in the SA meetings as an observer, to familiarize himself with the procedures.

On the occasion of his trip to New York, Mr. Gerapetritis gave an interview to the newspaper “National Herald” in which he referred to the importance of Greece’s upcoming election to the UN Security Council.

“The upcoming election of Greece as a non-permanent member of the Security Council at the UN for the two years 2025-2026 will be an important success of our foreign policy, as on the one hand it will strengthen the international prestige of our country and on the other hand, it will establish its ability to co-shape global politics through decisions and resolutions and maximize its international capital. Our election will be the culmination of a national campaign, which was organized and implemented systematically, taking advantage of every opportunity and creating the right conditions in order to secure the widest possible support” said the Foreign Minister.

He also underlined that dozens of meetings were held to promote the message of our country’s candidacy, which is summed up in the tripartite dialogue – diplomacy – democracy.

“It will be the third time in history that Greece will have the honor and responsibility of being a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. This time, however, is significantly different from the previous ones. And this is because today the degree of complexity of global becoming is extremely high. From this position, our country will contribute constructively to addressing international challenges by defending the peaceful resolution of disputes, respect for International Law and the rules and principles of the United Nations Charter, the implementation of the ‘Women, Peace and Security’ agenda, maritime security, the protection of children’s rights in armed conflict and climate change. In an international environment characterized by escalating instability and aggression, with our participation we assume the responsibility to work for the universal good and the well-being of the next generations”, Mr. Gerapetritis further emphasized to the “National Herald”.