PRESS BRIEFING BY BRENDEN VARMA, SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT VOLKAN BOZKIR

United Nations Headquarters, New York

31 March 2021

 

PRESIDENT TO EMBARK ON 1ST OFFICIAL TRIP SINCE TAKING OFFICE; STOPS TO INCLUDE TURKEY, QATAR & AZERBAIJAN

  • The President will be embarking on his first official trip since assuming office last September.
  • He will travel to Turkey, Qatar and Azerbaijan, from 1 to 12 April.
  • In Ankara, the President will be received by H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, and hold separate bilateral meetings with H.E. Mr. Mustafa Şentop, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly, and H.E. Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
  • The President will also deliver remarks to the Grand National Assembly. His statement will address the current international context – with a focus on global crises and emergencies – and reflect on the state of multilateralism and the United Nations system. He will outline his priorities and activities for the 75th session. The President will also meet with the United Nations Country Team.
  • While in Turkey, the President will also travel to the southern province of Hatay to meet with Syrian refugees and visit the United Nations cross-border humanitarian mechanism, where he will be briefed on and observe the vital operations managed by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
  • In Doha, the President is expected to be received by H.H. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and plans to meet separately with H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs.
  • In Baku, the President is expected to be received by H.E. Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and hold meetings with H.E. Mr. Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and H.E. Ms. Sahiba Gafarova, Chair of the Parliament (Milli Majlis).

 

PRESIDENT TO BRIEF GENERAL COMMITTEE ON UPCOMING MEETINGS

  • This afternoon the President will address an informal meeting of the General Committee, which meets periodically throughout the session to review the Assembly’s progress. This will be Committee’s fourth meeting this session.
  • In his remarks, the President is expected to note that, during his remaining five months in office, he will organize more than 15 additional high-level and commemorative meetings, thematic debates, formal plenaries or other meetings of the General Assembly.
  • Three of those will take place next month. Those include: an Interactive Dialogue on “Milestones of Multilateralism and the Future of the United Nations” (26 April); the high-level Thematic Debate on Digital Cooperation and Connectivity (27 April); and a high-level Interactive Dialogue on Tackling Anti-Microbial Resistance (29 April).