MOSCOW, September 28 (RIA Novosti) - Claims that Russia abuses its veto right in the UN Security Council are false, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday in an interview with Rossiya-1 broadcaster and RT news channel.
"Political talks about the veto right being abused are incorrect. When the United Nations was formed, a principle of unanimity between the five permanent members of the Security Council was established, and this is not a privilege, but a responsibility to maintain peace and security. This shows the wisdom of those who wrote the UN Charter, as they understood that if these five states do not agree, any problem can hardly be solved collectively and efficiently," Lavrov said.
Speaking of the main threats the world is facing today, Lavrov noted terrorism, illegal drug trade, epidemics, the danger of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and food safety issues. The minister stressed the importance of finding "common approaches to ensure the most effective response to these threats".
Lavrov stated that the Security Council is often unfairly criticized for unresolved conflicts and its lack of willingness to authorize the use of force. "The Security Council is being blamed, but in fact, first of all, the sides of a conflict need to sit down and negotiate, the Security Council cannot come up with [solutions] for them," he said.
The UN's Security Council consists of 15 countries. Russia, the United States, China, France and the United Kingdom are the Council's permanent members. These states are not re-elected and hold veto power, which allows them to block any decision made by the Security Council.
In 2013, France called for the permanent Security Council members to refrain from using their veto rights in matters that involve mass crimes. The proposal was revived at the 69th UN General Assembly in New York and backed by a number of world leaders.
