MOSCOW, Sept 22 (Reuters) – Russia believes the UN Security Council should expand its number of permanent members beyond the current five, and that the existing veto system should remain, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was responding to a question from reporters about Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s call to abolish both permanent membership and the veto.
Erdogan has long criticised the council, saying its veto-carrying permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the US – are not reflective of the international community and are unable to take swift decisions.
Peskov said Russia wanted the council to be reformed, and the permanent membership expanded.
“At the same time, we believe that the institution of permanent members of the Security Council, as well as the right of veto, are very important elements of the entire structure of the United Nations,” he said.
(Reporting by Dmitry AntonovWriting by Alessandra PrenticeEditing by Mark Trevelyan)
