Turkish diplomat seen off with heartfelt applause in UN

Passing the baton to his successor Abdulla Shahid of the Maldives, Volkan Bozkir, the first Turkish diplomat to lead the 75th UN General Assembly, stressed the role of the Assembly based on the equality of all states.

In a speech before closing the 75th Assembly’s final meeting, outgoing President Bozkir noted that his tenure took place amidst a “tumultuous, historic, transformative, unequal, challenging and ground-breaking year.”

“From the earliest moments of my presidency, we knew that COVID-19 would dominate our agenda. However, I can now say that it has reinforced our belief in a more effective and more responsive UN”, he said.

Before stepping down, Mr. Bozkir made a series of recommendations ranging from strengthening the Assembly to realigning “a serious mismatch in the way this Organization treats its employees and the world’s highest political office.”

He also suggested shifting from focusing on procedures “at the cost of substance” to a “more streamlined, priority-driven agenda” and prioritizing the UN as a single entity of respect, integrity, and progress.

Bozkir thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu for their support during his presidency.

In his speech, he recalled amazing events he encountered during his mission and shared his warm memories.

Before bringing down the gavel for the last time, he called for a moment of silent prayer or meditation.

The Turkish diplomat was seen off with heartfelt applause in the United Nations.