Mr. President,

Let me at the outset thank you for convening this meeting. I also would like to congratulate Ambassador Zahir Tanin for his re-appointment as the Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations. I also thank India for presenting the annual report of the Security Council.

Mr. President,

Türkiye would like to see a more accountable, transparent, effective and democratic Council to be reformed on the basis of the General Assembly Decision 62/557. In this regard, we believe that five key issues identified in the Decision, namely, categories of membership, the question of the veto, regional representation, size and working methods of the Council, and the relationship between the Council and the General Assembly, should be addressed as a package to reach a comprehensive solution.

We are convinced that a broad-based and comprehensive solution can be achieved by compromise, which requires flexibility. We also believe that the primary responsibility in this process rests with the Member States.

We further believe that African countries must be given a special emphasis in the reform agenda, so as to achieve a more equitable geographical representation. With this perspective, the UFC proposal takes into account the legitimate aspirations of Africa.

Mr. President,

In closing my remarks, I would like to highlight once again that the Uniting for Consensus Group will continue to work constructively with all stakeholders for a compromise and broad-based solution.

Thank you Mr. President.