UNITED NATIONS
The heated race continues between Turkey, New Zealand and Spain to win a seat on the U.N. Security Council.
The vote, set to take place in the General Assembly on October 16, is for 10 non-permanent seats on the 15-member Council.
Currently, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States have permanent seats with the power to veto resolutions.
The foreign ministers of the three countries are in New York lobbying for votes.
Turkey opened its 'Safe Harbor Turkey' exhibition at the U.N. headquarters to show how different communities have found shelter in Turkish territory throughout the country's history.
Turkey is competing with New Zealand and Spain for two seats representing the Western group of nations.
On September 10, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey needs to get two thirds of the votes, 129 votes from a total of 193 nations, to be able to win a non-permanent seat.
He said that the government is confident that it will be elected during the first round of the election, set to take place in the U.N. General Assembly this Thursday.
Turkey wants to see a more democratic and politically active United Nations, Cavusoglu said on Tuesday during his meetings with various U.N. member states.
He also highlighted the issue of rising Ebola cases that to date have claimed the lives of more than 4,400 people in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization.
Cavusoglu reminded everyone that Turkey had immediately helped Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea when the virus initially broke out.
Turkey has previously been a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 1951-1952 and 1954-1955; as well as in 2009-2010 when it was elected with a resounding 151 votes.
In 1961, Turkey shared a non-permanent seat with Poland.
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