Competition Is Tough for Most Coveted Seat at the United Nations

UNITED NATIONS — The sales pitch was not subtle.

On the ground floor of the General Assembly building, the government of Turkey presented a photo exhibition congratulating itself for having welcomed refugees over the years: Abhkazians, Macedonians, and lately, Syrians fleeing the war next door.

The exhibition, inaugurated on Monday evening by the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, was part of the country’s hard-knuckled push for a seat at the high table of global power, the United Nations Security Council. Crab cakes and wine were served. But no answers were offered on how exactly Turkey intended to help fight the scourge on its border, the militant group known as the Islamic State.

The test of Turkey’s campaign comes on Thursday morning, when the 193 member states of the General Assembly will elect five new members to rotating two-year seats on the Security Council. Three of those seats are effectively uncontested: The countries of Africa have already selected Angola to represent their continent, Malaysia is tapped for Asia, and Venezuela is to get the seat earmarked for Latin America.

But there is a three-way contest for the remaining two, with Turkey against Spain and New Zealand. And Turkey is under the brightest spotlight of all.

The country is a coveted partner for the American-led coalition against the Islamic State, with a large army and extensive bases close to the action. But it has ruled out sending its own ground forces across the border under present conditions, and it has not yet allowed its air base at Incirlik to be used for combat operations. It is holding out for a no-fly zone over Syria. On Tuesday, it made matters more complicated for the United States by bombing a Kurdish militia in Turkey whose affiliates have been battling the Islamic State.

Diplomats say privately that given the circumstances, questions are being raised about whether this is the right time to reward Turkey with a Security Council seat, especially since it has only been four years since it last held one.