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Azerbaijan welcomed the United Arab Emirates' nomination of Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh for U.N. Secretary-General, as Türkiye prepares to put forward former Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu for the same post.
"We welcome the initiative of the United Arab Emirates to nominate Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Minister of State, as a candidate for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations," Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said in response to a local media question.
Hajizada said Azerbaijan underscores the importance of a selection process guided by the U.N. Charter and based on candidates' professional qualifications, diplomatic experience, impartiality, and ability to build consensus among member states.
"We hope that the process will pave the way for an outcome that contributes to a stronger, more effective, and responsive United Nations," he said.
Nusseibeh, the UAE’s minister of state and envoy to the U.N. and EU, announced her candidacy Wednesday after the UAE formally nominated her, Anadolu Agency reported. She has taken leave from her government post to focus on the bid.
"I have spent much of my professional life working in and around the United Nations, and I have seen first-hand what determined diplomacy can achieve," Nusseibeh said, adding, "But I have also seen the cost when diplomacy falls short. When the distance between what we promise and what we deliver grows, trust erodes, and so does our ability to act."
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan submitted the nomination in a letter to the presidents of the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council.
Critics have objected to how she has represented the UAE on Sudan, Israel-Gaza, Libya, Yemen and Somaliland.
Türkiye is preparing to nominate Sinirlioglu, the current secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Turkish sources told Türkiye Today earlier this week.
"Of course, we are not positioning ourselves against one or several candidates," a Turkish official said, noting, "Türkiye’s view of the U.N. is grounded in the principle that the world is bigger than five, a fully participatory, equitably represented, democratic outlook where decision-making bodies do not simply prioritize the interests of powerful states."
Sinirlioglu served as foreign minister in 2015 and as Türkiye’s permanent representative to the U.N. from 2016 to 2023.
Six Security Council straw polls have failed to produce a candidate acceptable to all five veto-wielding permanent members: the U.S., Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France.
A candidate needs at least nine votes in the 15-member council and no veto before being recommended to the General Assembly. Traditionally, the post rotates between regions, and many believe a female diplomat from Latin America should take it.
Former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan is seen as the frontrunner, while IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has also emerged as a strong contender.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ second term ends Dec. 31.
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