A dispute between the United Nations and the City of New York over Corona’s measures

The repercussions of the outbreak of the Corona pandemic were not limited to registering only injuries and deaths, but also reached diplomatic relations, as the president of the General Assembly of the United Nations of Turkey, Volkan Bozkir, objected on Friday in a statement to the refusal of the mayor of New York to receive it to ensure that the organization “operates as efficiently as possible” despite among the measures taken to combat the Covid-19 epidemic.

“I felt sad when I learned that the mayor (Bill de Blasio) is not ready to receive me,” Bozkir said in a statement, adding that this lack of communication worries me because the policies implemented by New York City directly affect work. of the United Nations and, therefore, the lives of millions of people in the world.

Brendan Varma, spokesman for the president of the United Nations General Assembly, refused, in a meeting with reporters, to clarify whether Volkan Bozkir sought to obtain exceptions for the representatives of the 193 member states to the city’s decision to impose a stone 14 days for foreigners arriving in the city.

Last September, Bozkir, who wants to resume large-scale physical meetings at the United Nations, announced the organization of a summit on the epidemic before the end of December. This extraordinary meeting could be held with the actual presence of the delegates on December 3 and 4.

The international organization, headed by its general secretary Antonio Guterres, is cautious and uses mainly teleconference and teleconference.

A Bozkir spokesperson said the New York City “did not give us a reason (…) they only rejected a request to set a date. For her part, the head of the International Department in New York City said she “surprised and regrets” Bozkir’s reaction.

“Mayor Bill de Blasio has an excellent relationship with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, and since the beginning of the Blasio administration, New York City has maintained a deep cooperative relationship with Bozkir’s predecessors.” added.

Varma said Bozkir “recently requested a meeting with (New York State Governor) Andrew Cuomo” and is awaiting his response.

He stressed that Volkan Bozkir “sees face-to-face diplomacy as essential to the way the United Nations operates and helps people around the world.”