The official campaign for Greece’s candidacy as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2025-2026 was launched by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in New York during an event hosted by the Permanent Mission of Greece to the UN on Thursday. The nomination of Greece’s candidacy to the UN Security Council is aimed at expanding the geopolitical presence of our country in the international arena.

In the presence of dozens of heads of permanent delegations from all over the world, the Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that “Greece always supports dialogue and diplomacy as the only effective means to achieve the main goals of this Organization: international peace, development and the promotion of human rights.”

Mr Dendias stuck to his words democracy, dialogue And diplomacy, which will form a roadmap for the Greek candidate for the UN General Assembly. In this context, he carefully analyzed the regional priorities set by Greece, based on the principles of multilateralism and respect for international law, with a view to protecting the principles of a rules-based international order.

As he noted, Greece is “strongly committed to promoting rules-based multilateralism based on international law. In this context, we will work with all Members of the United Nations to uphold the system of collective security established by the Charter, with particular emphasis on the prohibition of the use or threat of use of force.”

With regard to the priorities that characterize the Greek candidacy, Mr. Dendias made special mention of security and freedom of navigation issues, as he said Greece will work in South Africa to further advance its principles of the Law of the Sea.

Meeting of N. Dendias with the UN Secretary General

A little earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Secretary General António Guterres at the UN Headquarters to formally present the Greek candidacy to him. Other topics discussed included the prospects for the resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus issue after the election of the new President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, as well as recent developments in the Russian war against Ukraine and in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The message conveyed by Mr. Dendias is that the election of a new President is a good opportunity to explore whether there is room for a new initiative that could help break the current impasse. In this light, the Minister explained, Greece encourages the Secretary General to continue his efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue, always within the framework established by the decisions of the UN Security Council.

In response to a question about the Secretary General’s attitude towards Greece’s candidacy, Mr. Dendias noted that “The Secretary General welcomed the brochure and the candidacy. Of course, he couldn’t stand it. But since I want to be honest, I didn’t see him unhappy.”

Source: RES-IPE