Egypt won a seat in the International Law Commission at the UN after Egyptian ambassador Hussien Hassouna won the elections that took place in New York on Thursday, according to a Foreign Ministry statement released Friday.

One-hundred and forty-seven voted in favour of Egypt, while only 97 votes were required to win the seat. Eleven other countries were competing against Egypt for the seat.

In the statement, the ministry said: “This reflects upon Egypt’s great position internationally, and the confidence of the international community in Egypt’s competency and expertise, particularly in the field of international law.”