ANKARA - Turkey ran on July 23, 2003 its candidacy to become a non-permanent member of United Nations (U.N.) Security Council for two-year term starting as of 2009.
A statement of the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Turkey announced its candidacy from the West Europe and other countries group.
The statement noted that the election would take place during the U.N. 63rd General Assembly in 2008.
As one of founder members of the U.N., Turkey always regarded goals and principles of the U.N. Charter, supported efforts to maintain peace and security and bring better days and conditions to all humanity, contributed to activities of the U.N. to maintain peace, and provided countries in difficult situation with humanitarian and technical aid, the statement pointed out.
The statement said, ''we believe that Turkey, which is situated in the intersection point of many conflicted areas and which has close ties with countries in a wide geography of history, politics, economy and culture, has already deserved to take place in this organ when it is taken into consideration that it was represented in the Security Council only for five years and 42 years ago.''
Taking into account the limited number of seats given to geographical groups forming the Security Council, member countries plan their candidacies with long-term and comprehensive election strategies and prefer to announce their decision to run their candidacy for the following terms long before the election date.
Other countries which has run their candidacy for membership from the same group for the same term so far are Austria and Iceland.
Turkey took place in the Security Council, which is the first and central organ of the U.N. to maintain international peace and stability, in two-year terms of 1951-1952, 1954-1955 and in 1961 since it had to share the two-year term with Poland.
Turkey had withdrawn its candidacy for non-permanent membership of Security Council from the same group for the terms 1997-1998 and 2001-2002 taking into consideration the conditions of the time and to re-consider the candidacy later.
(BRC-AÖ) 24.07.2003