Dr Khalil defends dual role after UNGA presidency win

President-elect of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on Thursday indicated that he may continue serving as foreign minister while carrying out his responsibilities as UNGA president.

Responding to questions from reporters after returning to Dhaka following his election victory, Dr Rahman said resignation was not the only option.

"Will I resign? No. My Prime Minister, Tarique Rahman, has told me very clearly that he will let me off for one year to do a full-time job. Resignation is not the only option. I can take leave," he said at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Asked whether he would leave his current post, Dr Rahman said there was precedent for holding both positions simultaneously.

He recalled that Bangladesh last held the UNGA presidency in 1986-87, when then foreign minister Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury was elected president of the 41st General Assembly.

"I was his private secretary. We worked with him, and he carried out both responsibilities full-time," Dr Rahman said.

He also noted that foreign ministers from other countries had served as UNGA president while retaining their ministerial portfolios, citing former Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, who served as president of the 76th UNGA session in 2021.

Dr Rahman dedicated the victory to Bangladesh's future, saying the country had regained the prestigious position after four decades.

In the secret-ballot election, he secured 99 votes against 91 for his rival. A total of 190 ballots were cast, with no invalid votes or abstentions.

Describing the contest as highly competitive, he said Bangladesh's decision to enter the race reflected confidence in the support enjoyed by the government at home and abroad.