Welcome to the club: Bolivia, Ethiopia, Italy, Kazakhstan and Sweden to enter UNSC

MOSCOW. KAZINFORM Bolivia, Ethiopia, Italy, Kazakhstan and Sweden will begin their two-year term as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council on Sunday, January 1, Sputniknews reported.

On January 1, 2018, the Netherlands will replace Italy as a non-permanent member of the council on January 1, 2018, according to an agreement reached by Rome and Amsterdam after they both received 95 votes each following five rounds of voting in the General Assembly.

The UN Security Council consists of 15 states, namely five permanent (Russia, France, China, the United States and the United Kingdom) and 10 non-permanent members that are to be elected for two years. Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay will remain non-permanent members of the council, with their terms expiring on December 31, 2017.