‘Brother, don’t be in such a hurry’: Foreign minister on question about taking leave

Responding to a question about whether he would take leave after being elected president of the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said, “Brother, don’t be in such a hurry.”

The foreign minister made the remark while speaking to journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon.

On 2 June, Bangladesh’s foreign minister was elected president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. He was elected after defeating the candidate from Cyprus. Following the election, he returned to Dhaka from New York on Thursday morning.

The foreign minister said, “This victory is Bangladesh’s victory. This victory belongs to the prime minister. I would like to thank the prime minister. Had he not made this decision and supported us firmly, steadfastly and without reservation, we could not have covered this 10-year journey in 10 weeks.”

Khalilur Rahman said, “All officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials at various missions abroad worked tirelessly. Our state minister for foreign affairs and the prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs—we worked with a strong team spirit, and his contribution behind this victory was immense. We dedicate this victory to the future of Bangladesh.”

At this point, journalists asked whether he would now go on leave. In response, the foreign minister said, “You mean whether I will resign from my job? No, no, whether I will take leave? Brother, there is no need to be in such a hurry! There is precedent for this. Forty years ago, our former foreign minister, Humayun Rashid Choudhury, was elected president of the United Nations General Assembly.”

The foreign minister said, “I was his personal secretary, and we worked with him. He served full-time in both positions. That was the pre-internet era; but today, you can seamlessly carry out both responsibilities at the same time. It is very normal now.”

The foreign minister added, “I have already clarified this. Many people have said that the person currently in Germany served as foreign minister but left that position to perform the role. The reality is that he was the leader of the Green Party. His Green Party lost the election, and for that reason he could no longer remain foreign minister.”