Turkey urges UN to reform Security Council

By Dildar Baykan

NEW YORK

The UN Security Council should be “a more transparent, democratic, representative and accountable body”, Turkey urged member countries Friday.

The remarks by Turkey's UN Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu came during a Security Council panel titled “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: strengthening multilateralism and the role of the United Nations.”

“The more transparency the Council displays while undertaking its work, the more accountable it will be,” Sinirlioglu said.

“A more responsive Council to the UN membership will be better placed to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex world,” he added.

“Increased transparency and effectiveness will further enhance the legitimacy of this body. That, in turn, will only strengthen the UN’s role in achieving peace, security and economic prosperity to the benefit of all, with a renewed commitment to multilateralism,” he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long advocated reforming the structure of the Security Council, using the motto: "The world is bigger than five."