Malaysia hails Turkish diplomat's UNGA presidency

ANKARA

Malaysia's Foreign Minister congratulated Turkey on Friday on being elected to chair the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.

Hishammuddin Hussein extended his "warmest congratulations" to Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Ambassador Volkan Bozkir on being elected as President of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.

"Congratulations also to all the newly-elected members of the UNSC & ECOSOC. Malaysia looks forward to working closely with all of you," Hussein said on Twitter.

Bozkir is the first Turkish national to head the General Assembly. He will take office in September and hold the post for one year.

He is currently a ruling Justice and Development Party lawmaker from Istanbul and head of parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.

He was elected to the Turkish legislature in 2011 following nearly 40 years in the foreign service that included posts in Germany, New York, Baghdad, and Romania.

He also served as Turkey's minister of European affairs and chief negotiator in the nation’s EU accession talks. Bozkir is the first Turkish national to head the General Assembly. He will take office in September and hold the post for one year.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan formally declared Bozkir’s candidacy in his address to the UN General Assembly last September.