MOSCOW (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama congratulated new UN chief Antonio Guterres on his recent election, reaffirming Washington's commitment to working closely with the United Nations, according to a statement issued by the White House.
"The President pledged our continued assistance on U.N. efforts to address a wide array of global challenges, including climate change, forced migration, sustainable development, nonproliferation, humanitarian assistance, conflict prevention, peacekeeping, and promoting respect for human rights," the White House said late on Tuesday following a phone conversation between Obama and Guterres.
The UN General Assembly approved on October 13 Portugal’s former Prime Minister Guterres as the next UN Secretary General, who is set to assume office on January 1, 2017. During the election, Guterres got unanimous support from the UN Security Council members.
On Tuesday, Russia's UN Envoy Vitaly Churkin welcomed the appointment of Guterres, calling it a major success of the UN Security Council within the past five years.