UNGA President-elect departs Vienna after fruitful talks with Austrian gov't officials

President-elect of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, Abdulla Shahid has concluded his visit to Vienna, Austria.

FM Shahid conducted fruitful meetings with several government officials of Austria during his trip, where he delivered the message and his priorities for the UNGA “Presidency of Hope”.

He was received by the Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz on Tuesday. Sitting down with Kurz, Shahid briefed him on the priorities of the UNGA Presidency of Hope and engaged in discussions regarding shared priorities of the 76th session of the UNGA.

He went on to congratulate the government of Austria for the successful organizing of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, during which he delivered a speech, and 13th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament.

In a meeting with his Austrian counterpart, Foreign Minister of Austria Alexander Schallenberg, FM Shahid stated that Austria has a proud history of championing multilateralism and expressed assurance that Austria will provide full support for the UNGA Presidency of Hope.

FM Schallenberg noted that multilateralism “is in our DNA”, as proud hosts of United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna. He expressed full support for the ambitious agenda of the upcoming UNGA session.

FM Shahid was also received by the Minister of Defense of Austria, Kaludia Tanner. During the meeting he applauded the country’s commitment to multilateralism and engagement in upholding international peace and security, through the deployment of peacekeepers.

Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Gadha Fathi Waly met with the foreign minister as well and congratulated him, extending assurance of full support to his “Presidency of Hope” and vision of hope for recovering from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, rebuilding sustainably, protecting the planet, respecting the rights of all as well as revitalizing the UN.

She ensured that the UNODC was his “partner” in implementing this important agenda.

FM Shahid noted that the coordination between the work done in all UN capitals is essential for a successful “Presidency of Hope”, noting that he is looking forward to continuing these conversations.

The foreign minister departed Vienna on Wednesday, after what he described it as a “successful trip of engagements with IPU Parliament, the government of Austria, and UN Vienna”.