Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed on Sunday the possibility of Egypt becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2016-2017, with Egypt's UN Permanent representative Ambassador Amr Abu Ata, according to a Monday statement by the foreign ministry. Shoukry praised the members of the permanent representative delegation for the logistical support they offered during the recent visit of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to the United Nations. The minister also urged the delegation to continue presenting the achievements of Egypt in the field of foreign policy to the agenda of the United Nations concerning issues of development, climate change, disarmament, and peacekeeping in order to guarantee that member states' support for Egypt's candidature to the Security Council. Shoukry presented a booklet with Egypt's aspiration to take the seat in 2016 in United Nations system to his counterparts during several meetings on the sidelines of his recent UN visit, according to the foreign ministry statement. A similar demand was presented by President Al-Sisi during his UN speech where he announced that Egypt is aiming to have a non-permanent membership in order to serve and protect the interests of developing countries. Egypt was elected as non-permanent Security Council member in 1946, 1949-1950, 1961-1962, 1984-1985, and 1996-1997.
