"This is a big diplomatic victory for Lithuania, a significant foreign policy achievement which demonstrates our diplomatic maturity and increased international prestige," the Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said.
The Lithuanian Foreign Minister underlined that the majority vote of Members of the United Nations had given Lithuania right to occupy a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, which was a great responsibility and a serious challenge to the country's diplomatic service.
"There is a lot of hard and serious work ahead of us, including a dedication to advance international peace and security, but I have no doubt that we are ready to act honestly and professionally facing all challenges for global diplomacy, even the most difficult ones," L.Linkevičius said.
Speaking about the country's objectives, the Foreign Minister stressed Lithuania's determination to strengthen the influence of small states on the Security Council as well as to advance transparency and openness of the Council. The Foreign Minister assured that Lithuania was prepared for a constructive discussion with all members of the Council and intended to actively participate in addressing all issues on the agenda.
"Lithuania will consistently defend core values and principles of the UN. As a member of the Security Council, the country will devote special attention to conflict prevention and the protection of civilians in various conflict zones, especially in regards to women's and children's rights, to the fight against sexual violence as a weapon of war, new challenges to international peace and security. We will also promote democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights – both in the members and in the field of international relations," the Foreign Minister said.
Lithuania has aimed for membership of this global policy forum since 1996, when the country for the first time officially submitted a membership application (the Eastern European Group). Lithuania has sought consistently to achieve this goal and gained experience while chairing the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Community of Democracies, and holding the Presidency of the EU Council. Lithuania has successfully worked in the principal organs of the UN: the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO), the Economic and Social Council, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), World Health Organization, International Labour Organization, etc.
The Security Council is composed of 15 members: five permanent members and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. The non-permanent members are chosen based on various regions of the world. This year, those new members were elected for the 2014-2015 period: Chile (Latin American and Caribbean Group); Saudi Arabia (the Asian Group); Chad, Nigeria (the African Group); Lithuania (the Eastern European Group).
