Former German Foreign Minister Berbock elected President of the UN General Assembly
Former German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock has been elected President of the United Nations General Assembly. About this reported UN press office.
Burbok will chair the 80th session of the General Assembly, which will last from September 2025 to September 2026. Her candidacy was supported by 167 representatives of UN member states. In her first speech, Burbok thanked for the trust and stated that she strives to be an “honest mediator” in the work of the General Assembly.
The President of the UN General Assembly presides over meetings, coordinates the activities of the body, monitors compliance with procedures and represents the assembly at the international level. This position involves mainly organizational and representative duties and is not endowed with political powers.
Annalena Burbok was the only applicant for the position, but the voting was held in secret mode – at the request of one of the UN members. According to diplomatic sources, Russia was the initiator of this voting format. In recent weeks, Russia has openly expressed its disagreement with Burbok’s candidacy, accusing her of “frank bias.”
It will be recalled that Annalena Burbok held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany from December 2021 to May 2025. After the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, she visited Ukraine several times.
