Turkey’s candidate Ambassador Volkan Bozkır, former Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, was elected as the President of the 75th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN).
In the election held at the UN General Assembly, due to the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, the representatives of the member states were taken to the hall one by one in the time slot allocated to them and cast their votes. Voting started at 09.00 local time and ended at 13.00.
192 member states voted in the UN General Assembly, where 193 countries are represented. Venezuela lost its voting rights and could not vote in this election because it could not pay the financial contribution debt that UN member states have to pay.
Bozkır, who was the only candidate for the presidency of the UN General Assembly, received the support of 178 countries and was elected as the 75th president of the UN General Assembly.
While 3 votes were invalid, 11 countries abstained from voting.
Bozkır became the first person from Turkey to be elected President of the UN General Assembly.
Bozkır will take over from Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th UN General Assembly, on September 15 and will hold the post until September 2021.
The President of the UN General Assembly presides over the sessions and organizes the functioning of the Assembly. The General Assembly also sets and controls the UN budget each year.
The UN General Assembly adopts resolutions that reflect the general opinion of the international community.
Every year in mid-September, world leaders gather in New York, where the UN Headquarters is located, for the UN General Assembly plenary session, where they have the opportunity to seek diplomatic solutions to global problems and explain their countries’ policies.
Who is Volkan Bozkır?
Volkan Bozkır was born on November 22, 1950 in Ankara.
After graduating from Ankara University Faculty of Law, Bozkır worked as a career diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General in Stuttgart, Chief Clerk at the Embassy in Baghdad, Undersecretary at the Permanent Mission to the OECD, Consul General in New York, Ambassador in Bucharest and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Turkey to the European Union (EU).
He also served as Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Ministry, Chief Foreign Affairs Advisor, Deputy Secretary General for EU Affairs, Deputy Undersecretary for EU Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Secretary General for EU Affairs, and is the recipient of the Romanian National Medal of Merit and the Italian Order of Merit.
Volkan Bozkır was elected as AK Party Istanbul MP for the 24th, 25th and 26th terms.
After serving as the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission and Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator in the 62nd government, Bozkır was re-appointed as the Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator in the 64th government.
Fluent in English and French, Bozkır is married and has two children.
Bande, President of the 74th UN General Assembly, congratulates Volkan Bozkır
Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), congratulated Ambassador Volkan Bozkır, former Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, on his election as President of the 75th General Assembly.
Bande shared the following message on her Twitter account: “I congratulate Volkan Bozkır on his election as President of the 75th UN General Assembly. He can be assured of my full support for a successful transition as he begins this important task.
Bozkır was elected as the 75th President of the UN General Assembly with the support of 178 countries at the UN General Assembly, where 193 countries are represented.
Bozkır, who is the first person from Turkey to be elected as the President of the UN General Assembly, will take over from Bande, the 74th President of the UN General Assembly, on September 15 and will serve until September 2021.
Source: https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/politika/bm-75-genel-kurul-baskanligina-turkiyenin-adayi-volkan-bozkir-secildi-/1880830
