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UNITED NATIONS, July 13 (Itar-Tass) —— The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday on Wednesday, July 13, advised the General Assembly to admit South Sudan to the United Nations.
Having considered the Report of the Committee on the Admission of New Members concerning the application of the Republic of South Sudan for admission to membership in the United Nations, the Security Council passed the relevant resolution without voting.
The U.N. General Assembly will meet on July 14 and is expected to vote for the admission of South Sudan to the U.N. as its 193rd member.
On January 9, South Sudan held a referendum on self-determination and proclaimed independence on July 9. The declaration of independence has put an end to the interethnic and inter-confessional conflict between the North and the South, which started in the 1950s and has claimed more than 2 million lives.
South Sudan has become the 54th independent state in Africa.
On the following day after the declaration of independence, South Sudan President Salva Kiir submitted an official request for admission to the U.N.
Russia was one of the first countries to have recognised the Republic of South Sudan.
“The results of the referendum on self-determination held in the South of Sudan show that the majority of people living in that region spoke in favour of national independence and sovereignty. I am confident that the course chosen by the leadership of South Sudan towards the establishment and development of good-neighbourly relations with the citizens of the Republic of Sudan and other African states will serve the interests of maintaining and strengthening peace in Central and East Africa,” President Dmitry Medvedev said in his message to Kiir, delivered by Kremlin envoy Mikhail Margelov.
“Relations between our peoples have a long history that dates back to the time when the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement was created… The acquisition by South Sudan of state sovereignty paves the way to the development of bilateral dialogue based on the principles of respect, friendship and mutually advantageous cooperation, and to the filling it with successful projects,” Medvedev said.
Russian business is showing serious interest in joint work with South Sudanese partners, including in the production and processing of mineral resources, in the energy sector and agriculture, the message said.
“Educational institutions of the Russian Federation, drawing on the experience of interaction with African countries in the field of education, are ready to help train personnel for South Sudan’s economy and social sector,” Medvedev said.
He expressed hope that “our partnership will be one of the important factors for strengthening stability and security in Africa”.
Asked about when diplomatic relations between Russia and South Sudan can be established, Margelov said this would be done “according to the standard Foreign Ministry procedure”.
He declined to name an approximate timeline for this process.
Margelov stressed, however, that Russia plans to open an embassy in South Sudan.
“Russia is planning to open an embassy here,” Margelov told Russia Today on Monday, July 11.
“At first, the entire bureaucratic procedure has to be completed, which will be done by the Foreign Ministry of Russia in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” he said.
Margelov noted that Russia is interested to develop relations with South Sudan, “both political and economic”, and several Russian companies have already shown their interest in the new state in such sectors as energy, infrastructure, military-technical cooperation.
Commenting on relations between North and South Sudan, Margelov said, “No one wants war”. “Everybody wants to solve problems by peaceful political means, especially since where there is oil. I think political elites in the North and South will find a common language. They have established official diplomatic relations and want to live in peace,” he said.
Official Khartoum recognised the independence of South Sudan, practically the entire population of which had supported separation in a nationwide referendum. Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir attended the celebrations marking independence in Juba as a guest of honour.