Nigeria, June 4 -- Germany lost the vote for a seat on the UN Security Council on Wednesday, the first time it has lost since joining in 1973.

The country lost the highly contested seats on the UN Security Council to Austria and Portugal after failing to secure a two-thirds majority vote from the General Assembly; a loss that Germany's Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, described as a "bitter defeat."

He attributed the loss to the growing anti-German sentiment stirred by Russia's campaign. Mr Wadephul claimed Russia is against the country securing a seat on the Security Council due to its staunch support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The UN conducted its annual election for non-permanent members of the Security Council on Wednesd...