UN General Assembly head dubs Turkey ‘respected member’

By Nazli Yuzbasioglu

ANKARA

Turkey is a “respected member” of the United Nations, president of the UN General Assembly said.

“Turkey is a respected member of the United Nations community and it plays a very important role,” Miroslav Lajcak, who is also the Slovakian Foreign Minister, told Anadolu agency on the sidelines of the 10th Ambassadors’ Conference in capital Ankara.

Lajcak said Istanbul is a regional hub of several UN agencies. “We [also] have a significant UN family here in Ankara, that is working very closely with the Government of Turkey on a number of issues."

Regarding his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he said it was a “friendly” and a “productive” one.

“We talk about the biggest challenges that we are facing, and I asked for his opinion regarding issues that are on the agenda of the United Nations,” he said.

Underscoring Turkey’s important role in humanitarian assistance, the UN General Assembly’s president said: “Turkey is among the countries that provide the highest volume of humanitarian assistance, and also official development assistance. It is widely recognized and very appreciated by the United Nations and the community.”

Speaking about the refugee crisis, Lajcak said: “The fact is the international community understands that migration is a global phenomenon, it is not an issue that one country can solve.”

Recalling UN General Assembly’s Global Compact for Refugees and Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration signed last month, Lajcak said: “This year was very important because the United Nations agreed on these two documents and Turkey played very active and very constructive role in reaching an agreement about these two documents.”

By Nazli Yuzbasioglu

ANKARA

Turkey is a “respected member” of the United Nations, president of the UN General Assembly said.

Regarding his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he said it was a “friendly” and a “productive” one.

“We talk about the biggest challenges that we are facing, and I asked for his opinion regarding issues that are on the agenda of the United Nations,” he said.

Speaking about the refugee crisis, Lajcak said: “The fact is the international community understands that migration is a global phenomenon, it is not an issue that one country can solve.”