Kuwait to join UN Security Council as Arab member

Kuwait to join UN Security Council as Arab member
Kuwait will take the role as Arab member of the UN Security Council on Monday after a 40 year hiatus, but has insisted it will remain neutral on world affairs.
1 min read
01 January, 2018
Kuwait prides itself on being a regional peacemaker [AFP]
Kuwait will become one of the 15 members of the UN Security Council from Monday, taking over from Egypt as the representative from Arab nations.

It is the first time in 40 years Kuwait has taken the position, with the Gulf state priding itself on its independent foreign policy and long-standing neutrality.

Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khalid al-Sabah said Kuwait will work with other UNSC members to help resolve some of the world's most challenging conflicts.

He also insisted the country will remain neutral on global affairs as it prepares for its two year membership at the security council.

Out of the 193 UN General Secretariat member states 188 voted to appoint Kuwait as a member of the council.

Kuwait has largely managed to avoid the fractions of the Arab world, in part due to its oil wealth and principle of neutrality.

It was invaded and illegally annexed by Iraq in 1990, leading to an US-led international coalition liberating the country the following year. 

The county has been at the forefront of efforts to resolve a crisis between Gulf neighbours, after Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain launched a blockade on Qatar in June.