Libya congratulates Turkey on UN presidency post

The Libyan Foreign Ministry congratulated Turkey on Thursday for being elected to chair the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.

In a telephone call, Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala congratulated his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on the election of Volkan Bozkir, according to a statement from the ministry.

Cavusoglu thanked Libya for a reception and hospitality rendered to a top-level Turkish delegation that visited Tripoli on Wednesday.

He extolled the significant and successful discussions he had with the President of the Presidential Council Fayez al-Sarraj, President of the High Council of State Khalid al-Mishri and ministers specialized in bilateral cooperation between the two friendly nations.

Bozkir is currently a ruling Justice and Development (AK) 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.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat