Buenos Aires/Brasilia, Oct 6 (IANS): Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra and her Brazilian counterpart Jose Serra congratulated former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres on being selected as the next UN Secretary-General.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously chose Guterres, also former UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) from 2005 to 2015, as its new head in January, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I wish him all the best in his position at the head of our UN," Malcorra said via her official Twitter account.

In South America, the Brazilian government publicly expressed its "great satisfaction" at Guterres' appointment.

Serra highlighted Guterres' possession of "professional qualifications and evident political stature to lead the UN".

According to the Brazilian Foreign Minister, the Portuguese former Prime Minister knows how "to face multiple global challenges, carry out necessary reforms in the organisation, including within the Security Council, and the efforts needed to promote peace, sustainable development and human rights".

Serra also expressed Brazil's desire to fully cooperate with the next UN Secretary-General.

Guterres, 67, has emerged from six rounds of secret voting and is expected to win in the final formal vote set to take place on Thursday morning by acclamation.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's term expires on December 31 this year.