Turkey’s foreign minister congratulates outgoing president of UNGA

Turkish Ambassador Volkan Bozkir completed his tenure Tuesday

Turkey’s foreign minister congratulated the president of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Tuesday. 

“I sincerely thank Ambassador @volkan_bozkir for representing our country in the best possible way & for his contributions to solve global challenges,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter.

Turkish Ambassador Volkan Bozkir completed his term with a farewell speech at the closing session of the 75th UN General Assembly.

In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry also said, “as the first ever Turkish citizen to assume this post in the 75-year-long history of the UN,” Bozkir ensured the uninterrupted continuation of the work of the General Assembly throughout his tenure, despite the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He led the efforts to bring such crises as Palestine, Syria and Myanmar, which deeply hurt the conscience of the international community, to the agenda of the General Assembly,” said the statement.

“He rendered support to the initiatives of strengthening the General Assembly, as the unique organ of the UN where all member states are represented equally,” it added.

Bozkir prioritized the strengthening of multilateralism, supporting groups that were most vulnerable to the conflicts, natural disasters and humanitarian crises and strengthening the role of women in public life, the statement said.

“The realistic, decisive and responsive leadership which he displayed during his tenure is highly appreciated by the international community and the whole UN family,” it said.

The ministry also congratulated Bozkir’s successor, Abdulla Shahid, during the 76th session of the General Assembly.