Russia warns against UN Security Council's excessive expansion

In case the decision to create additional vacancies of UN Security Council permanent members is adopted, Germany, Japan, India, Brazil and an African country will have to take them, Russian Federation permanent representative Sergei Lavrov told a plenary sitting of the fifty-eighth session of the UN General Assembly.

At the same time, the Russian diplomat warned against excessive expansion of the SC and called to address this issue carefully and gradually. He spoke against restriction of rights of the present permanent members of the Security Council.

"We are convinced of the counter-productivity of ideas which lead to infringement upon prerogatives and authorities of the present permanent members of the SC, including the veto right. Unjustified criticism of the veto institution only stirs up unnecessary emotions and prevents us from contributing to reaching the sought accord on reform parameters," Lavrov said.

The Security Council includes such permanent members as the US, Russia, the UK, France, and China.