UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — Italy and the Netherlands reached an agreement on Tuesday to split the two-year term on the United Nations Security Council after both states had received 95 votes each following five rounds of voting in the General Assembly.
"We had an agreement that we proposed to the General Assembly to serve in the Security Council one year each. I think that this is also a way to show from two European countries a message of unity, it is also a diplomatic solution… We know that the formal implementation of this agreement should be decided tomorrow, in the next days, especially by our regional groups… We have no doubt that this agreement will be implemented," Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni told reporters.
In accordance with the agreement, Italy will take the Security Council seat for 2017 and the Netherlands for 2018.
The UN Security Council consists of 15 states, namely five permanent (Russia, France, China, the United States and the United Kingdom) and 10 non-permanent members that are to be elected for two years. The current non-permanent members are Angola, Venezuela, Egypt, Spain, Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal, Ukraine, Uruguay and Japan.
Angola, Venezuela, Spain, Malaysia and New Zealand are due to leave the Council on December 31, 2016.
