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UN vote confirms Turkey's waning influence

Ankara’s failure to win a seat on the UN Security Council adds grist to the mill of those who argue that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu have left Turkey with few friends in the world.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (R) speaks during the U.N. Security Council meeting in New York September 24, 2014. Seen on the left is Jordan's King Abdullah. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR47L12
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) speaks during the UN Security Council meeting in New York, Sept. 24, 2014. — REUTERS/Adrees Latif

Turkey failed on Oct. 16 to win the coveted nonpermanent seat at the UN Security Council that it hoped would reinforce its influence in regional affairs, which has seriously dwindled in recent years. The result is a disappointment for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who hoped for a victory at the United Nations to counter claims that their policies have left Turkey isolated internationally.

Turkey was racing with Spain and New Zealand for the two nonpermanent seats open to the “Western European and Other States Group” for the years 2015-16. New Zealand got elected with 145 votes, gaining the required two-thirds of the vote in the first round.

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