Dhaka, June 4 -- Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has dismissed concerns about simultaneously serving as foreign minister and president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), saying there is a clear precedent for holding both positions at the same time.

Speaking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday after returning from New York following his election as president of the 81st UNGA session, Khalilur Rahman said there was no need for him to take leave from his ministerial responsibilities.

"There is no reason to be overly concerned. There is a precedent," he said. "Forty years ago, our former foreign minister, Humayun Rashid Choudhury, was elected President of the United Nations General...