TIRANA, Jan. 4 – Albania has officially taken its seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council with a flag placement ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York.
In June 2021, Albania was selected by the UN General Assembly to serve on the UN Security Council for two years, 2022-2023. Representing the Eastern European Group, Albania gets the honor for the first time since it joined the United Nations in 1955.
While Albania has a list of stated priorities, ranging from women’s rights to religious tolerance and climate change — many expect it to use the opportunity to help Kosovo get full international recognition.
Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka did not mince words on the matter in a statement on Tuesday.
“Albania will use this opportunity to advance the issue of Kosovo, the process of recognition and membership in international organizations because Kosovo has been, is and will be a sacred cause for Albania,” Xhacka said.
She added: “We will work for the Albanians, but we will also work for our region to consolidate the achievements of the last decades and not to let it slide towards the destabilization of tensions. We will work with our allies and partners to jointly advance the agenda of our common priorities, thus further consolidating the strong ties that unite us.”
The UN Security Council consists of five permanent members — the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France, and Russia — and ten non-permanent members elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms.
Albania joins alongside Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Gabon, and Ghana, all of which ran unopposed for the available seats representing their regional groups. Among 190 states voting, Albania was able to secure 175 votes in favor.
The selection was by the fact that all potential competitors from the region had already served on the council.
The UN Security Council has the power to impose legally binding measures on the countries that are members of the United Nations, and it can also provide the opportunity for each member to advance different issues.
Albania launched its bid for a seat on the council in 2018, when then Minister Ditmir Bushati announced the country’s intention.
“Albania comes with its own ambition in these sessions, as it is looking for a non-permanent sit at the Security Council for the 2022-2023 period and our communication campaign with partners and countries that know little or nothing about Albania has started in order to fulfill this foreign policy objective,” Bushati said back in 2018.
