Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Newly elected United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir’s visit to Pakistan has been cancelled due to logistical reasons, said the Foreign Office on Sunday.
Bozkir, who was to arrive today at the invitation of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, will now visit Pakistan after assuming his responsibilities at the United Nations, according to FO spokesperson Aisha Farooqui.
On June 21, Qureshi had congratulated Bozkir on his election as the president of the next session of the UN General Assembly.
“On behalf of the people and government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, I would like to extend my warm felicitation on your unanimous election by all member states as the President of the historic 75th Session of the UN General Assembly,” Qureshi said in a letter.
He said Bozkir’s unanimous election reflected the international community’s “trust and confidence” in his abilities to lead the UNGA “at this time of unprecedented global health and economic challenges.”
Bozkir, the first Turkish national to head the UNGA, 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 the Turkish parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
“We had to postpone my visit to Pakistan, originally scheduled for 26-27 July, upon invitation by Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Sha, due to some technical flight problem,” Bozkir said on Sunday.
