Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid who will assume office as the President of the United Nations General Assembly on September 14, has met with current Assembly President Volkan Bozkir.

During the meeting held in New York on Thursday, the UNGA president-elect shared his plans for the upcoming 76th session as well as his plans for a ‘Presidency of Hope’.

Always enriched by Bozkir's wisdom and experience, said Shahid in a tweet posted after meeting.

Bozkır, in turn wished Shahid success in his tenure assured the president-elect of his support and cooperation until the end of the 75th UNGA "and beyond".

Other than Bozkır, Shahid has also met with member nations of the United Nations in addition to the UN Secretariat and other stakeholders.

Shahid returned to New York -after a short visit to Japan last week in his capacity as the UNGA president-elect- on August 28 to continue preparations for the first session of the 76th General Assembly to be held on September 14. This includes meetings with various officials to ensure a smooth transition from the previous cabinet, he was holding meetings member nations of UN in addition to the UN Secretariat and other stakeholders as well.

While he was elected back in June, Shahid during his victory speech said that his “ultimate objective is to strengthen multilateralism, enhance cooperation, make the UN deliver, and reign in a presidency of hope”. The minister added that he has believed that multilateralism "is the way forward" since a young age when he first attended an UNGA session.

However, his first five main priorities are (as per order), recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, rebuilding sustainably, responding to the needs of the planet, respecting the rights of all and revitalizing the UN.

Also on Thursday, Shahid held a virtual meetings with 17 heads of Maldives missions around the world, adding that his team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "is committed to enhancing bilateral and multilateral relationships, consular services and making the Maldives proud".