Wolfgang Ischinger, the former German Ambassador to Washington and Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, does not view Germany’s failure to be elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council as a major problem.
Speaking to the TV channel Welt on Wednesday, Ischinger asserted, “Firstly, it is not a major catastrophe. Secondly, one could argue that it might have been a great European gesture if Germany had made way for the two smaller competitors, allowing them some exposure, given that we have been selected for this seat relatively often”.
Suggesting that Germany’s strong alignment with Israel may have influenced the outcome, Ischinger added, “That could have played a role. This has to be analyzed in detail, but I would assume, after a first review, that Austria and Portugal certainly did not align with Israel as distinctly as we did. In that regard, that might have played a certain part”.
Ischinger also noted that the optics of last year’s process, during which Annalena Baerbock (Green), the current President of the General Assembly, secured the post, did not generate significant new sympathy for Germany among the 200 professional ambassadors in New York. He stated that this must be acknowledged. It was originally scheduled for the group of “Western European and other States” to take over the presidency of the UN General Assembly in 2025. Following the initial proposal by the then-government of German OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid, Baerbock nominated herself after the traffic light coalition dissolved.
While admitting that the defeat in the UN candidacy does not look good, Ischinger stressed that it holds no bearing on Germany’s overall foreign policy importance. “Essentially, it means nothing. It is certainly true-and one must admit from the standpoint of presentation-that the Federal Republic of Germany, such a large country, losing to two smaller competitors is not ideal. But we should not elevate this into a major defeat” Ischinger cautioned.
Finally, Ischinger insisted that the electoral failure should have no impact on Germany’s financial contributions to the UN. “It must not have anything to do with that. It is absolutely ridiculous when I read in some comments that whether we receive this seat for two years or not should affect our role as one of the largest donors of the United Nations. We are an important contributor because we are an economically strong, indeed the strongest member state of the European Union. We should be proud of that and should not make concessions because of it”.
