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pre-internet time, but today you can simultaneously carry out both tasks. Now it is very normal.”

In the secret-ballot election held at the UN headquarters in New York, Khalilur secured 99 votes against 91 for his rival, Andreas Kakouris of Cyprus. A total of 190 ballots were cast, with no invalid votes or abstentions.

Khalilur returned to Dhaka early yesterday and was accorded a reception at the foreign ministry in the afternoon.

On May 13, during an informal dialogue at the UN in New York as part of his UNGA presidential campaign, Khalilur said he might take leave from his government duties if elected UNGA president.

“Will I resign? No. My prime minister [Tarique Rahman] has told me very clearly that he is going to let me off for one year to do a full-time job. Resignation is not the only option. I can take leave,” he said in response to a question.

His remarks have fuelled public debate over whether he will serve exclusively as UNGA president or attempt to discharge both responsibilities simultaneously.

The General Assembly is the UN’s most representative body, with all 193 member states each holding one vote, and its annual September session in New York is the only UN forum where leaders of all member states address the world.

It oversees the UN budget, adopts treaties, debates global issues such as poverty and corruption, and passes resolutions that are not legally binding but generally reflect global opinion. It also makes key UN decisions, including appointing the secretary-general on the recommendation of the Security Council and electing non-permanent UNSC members.

The next UNGA session will open on September 8.

Asked how practical it would be for Khalilur to juggle both roles amid intensifying geopolitical competition and Bangladesh’s foreign policy priorities, former ambassador to the US M Humayun Kabir said the UNGA presidency is far more demanding now than during Humayun Rashid Chowdhury’s tenure.

He said the UN had therefore decided to make the presidency a full-time role. However, the post is an honorary position and carries no salary.

“The world has become much more complicated, and the UN General Assembly now deals with major global issues throughout the year,” he told this correspondent.

“The president has to spend a significant part of the year in New York,” he said.

However, Humayun Kabir said the matter would ultimately depend on the government. “It will also depend partly on the efficiency of Khalilur Rahman,” he added.

Khalilur’s presidency will coincide with one of the most consequential processes on the UN calendar: the selection of a successor to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whose term ends on December 31, 2026.

FM TO VISIT RUSSIA

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Bangladeshi foreign minister would visit Russia on June 7-9.

“Moscow welcomes the intention of the president-elect [of UNGA] to give priority to defending the interests of the Global South and East, to promote the rapid achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, to enhance the effectiveness of the General Assembly, and, more broadly, to help restore the UN’s central coordinating role in world affairs,” said the ministry in a statement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, however, has not made any official announcement regarding the visit.