Inside Germany’s fight with Austria for a coveted UN Security Council seat – POLITICO

NEW YORK — In the heated Austro-German fight over which country will win a prized seat on the United Nations Security Council, Austrian officials are resorting to some wry diplomacy and a simple message.

Vote for us “precisely because we’re not the Germans,” as one senior Austrian diplomat put it.

Behind the tongue-in-cheek jab lies a real rivalry and fierce competition between two countries normally viewed as close allies.