LAVROV: FUTURE UN SECRETARY GENERAL SHOULD ACT IMPARTIALLY

MOSCOW, JUNE 8 /SRNA/RIA Novosti/ – The next United Nations secretary general should be neutral, independent and committed to the UN Charter in its entirety, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"I would like to reaffirm our full support for the need for the secretary general to be neutral, independent and committed to the UN Charter as a whole, rather than selectively stating that 'Kosovo has the right to self-determination' while 'Crimea is part of Ukraine's territorial integrity.' This is the key issue, and we must ensure that the next secretary general is genuinely different," Lavrov said during the meeting with former Chilean president and candidate for the post of UN secretary general Michelle Bachelet.

The term of current UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expires on December 31.

The process of selecting and appointing his successor is currently underway.

The next secretary general will assume office in January 2027 and will serve a five year term, renewable for an additional five years.