Germany’s failure at the UN tarnishes its international reputation | EURACTIV FR

The fact that Germany, for the first time ever, failed to secure a seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council made waves in Berlin.

Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, who has sought to position himself as a leader focused on foreign policy, insisted that “this result in no way changes the tasks before us at the United Nations” and that Germany would remain “a reliable pillar of the system multilateral”.

His comments downplaying this failure failed to convince his coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

“Germany’s commitment to international law must become even clearer and more consistent,” a déclaré Siemtje Möller, vice-president of the SPD parliamentary group.

In the secret ballot held at the United Nations General Assembly, Portugal and Austria were elected with 134 and 131 votes respectively, while Germany received only 104.

Among the factors cited for Germany’s defeat were the relatively late launch of its campaign, which allowed Austria and Portugal to obtain early pledges of support, as well as Berlin’s position as a staunch ally of Ukraine and Israel.

Johann Wadephul, the foreign minister, claimed that Russia had opposed Germany’s candidacy because Berlin had become kyiv’s most important supporter. However, Foreign Ministry officials also speculated that another factor was the international perception that Germany is a staunch defender of Israel.

Wadephul, who is not generally considered particularly close to Jerusalem, acknowledged after the vote that Germany’s position may have yours a role. “The fact that Germany still has to bear special responsibility towards Israel regarding the conflict in the Middle East may also have cost votes,” Wadephul said, adding: “We will continue to shoulder our historical responsibility. HAS”

The perception that Germany is not critical enough has apparently not been changed by Berlin’s temporary restrictions on arms exports to Israel, introduced by the Merz government last year. Earlier this year, Wadephul’s foreign ministry also abandoned plans announced by the previous government to intervene in proceedings before the International Court of Justice over genocide allegations made by South Africa against Israel.

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger thanked Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after securing a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council (photo: Instagram / @beate_meinl_reisinger)

Another factor could be Germany’s reaction to the war in Ukraine, where Berlin has taken a more ambivalent stance than other countries. Notably, Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger thanked Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after the vote by posting a photo of the two of them together on social media.

Due to its neutral stance, Vienna has not supplied weapons to Ukraine, an attitude that may have helped win votes from Russia and countries close to Moscow.

(bw)