Bern: Switzerland will take over the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for a month starting May 1.
The small alpine nation is a non-permanent UNSC member. It plans to use its brief stint at the helm of the global security organization to promote lasting peace and better protections for civilians.
Switzerland will succeed Russia in the role. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov chaired plenary debates of UNSC nations in April that focused on UN-led multilateralism and the Middle Eastern peace process.
The Russian presidency was overshadowed by delays in the issuance of visas to Lavrov and his press pool by the United States, which is home to the permanent UN headquarters. This led the top Russian diplomat to suggest that the UN office be moved elsewhere from New York.
