High Representative Valentin Inzko congratulated António Guterres on the decision of the General Assembly of the United Nations to appoint him as the ninth Secretary General of the United Nations. “The appointment of Mr. Guterres is a credit to him personally and to his country, Portugal. In our troubled world, the role of the United Nations is more important than ever. With the appointment of Mr. Guterres, the UN will get a very experienced leader able to rise to the challenge of this great responsibility.”
The High Representative, who met Mr. Guterres in 2009 during his visit to BiH in the capacity of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, pointed out that the vast experience he gained as the UN High Commissioner, in addition to being Prime Minister of Portugal and the President of the Socialist International would certainly contribute to the success of his tenure as the Secretary General.
“I wish Mr. Guterres success in fulfilling his vision of the United Nations, as elaborated in his vision statement. In that statement, among other things, he said that the UN must ensure that when one sees the blue flag, they feel protected. The United Nations and all of its agencies have been very supportive in the peace implementation process in Bosnia and Herzegovina following the end of the war. I look forward to our future cooperation and continued support to peace, stability and prosperity in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” concluded the High Representative.