The president of the General Assembly of the UN, the Turkish Volkan Bozkir, rebelled Friday, October 23 in a statement of the refusal of the mayor of New York to receive it to ensure that the Organization "
also works. effectively as possible
”despite the measures taken against Covid-19.
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“
I was saddened to learn that the mayor (Bill de Blasio) was not available to meet with me.
This lack of interaction concerns me because the policies developed by New York City directly affect the work of the United Nations and, by extension, millions of lives around the world,
”Volkan Bozkir said in a bitter statement.
His spokesman Brenden Varma refused to say during a press briefing whether Volkan Bozkir was looking for exceptions to the town hall rule, imposing 14 days of confinement on foreigners arriving in the city, for representatives of the 193 member states.
"
Surprise
" and "
sadness
"
In September, Volkan Bozkir, who would like to see physical meetings resume on a large scale at the UN, announced the organization of a summit on the pandemic before the end of December.
This extraordinary meeting is physically planned for December 3 and 4.
Since March, the Organization, under the leadership of its Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who has adopted a cautious approach, has mainly used telework and videoconferences.
New York City Hall "
did not give us a reason (...), they just rejected the request for an appointment
," said Brenden Varma.
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The head of the international department of New York City Hall for her part affirmed her “
surprise
” and “
sadness
” after Volkan Bozkir's reaction.
“
Mayor Bill de Blasio has an excellent relationship with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Since the beginning of the mandate of the administration of Blasio, the city of New York has always maintained a relationship of deep collaboration with the predecessors of Mr. Bozkir,
”said the official.
According to Brenden Varma, the President of the General Assembly "
recently requested a meeting with Governor (of New York State Andrew) Cuomo
" and is awaiting his response.
Volkan Bozkir “
feels that face-to-face diplomacy is a key to the way the UN operates and helps people around the world,
” said Brenden Varma.