Bangladesh, June 3 -- Bangladesh has achieved a notable diplomatic success after Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman was elected President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), defeating Cyprus' candidate Ambassador Andreas S. Kakouris in a vote held at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.

The election was conducted through a secret ballot among the 193 member states of the United Nations, concluding months of diplomatic engagement by Bangladesh to secure support for its candidacy.

The presidency of the 81st session was allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group under the UN's regional rotation system.

Bangladesh and Cyprus remained in contention after Palestine withdrew its candidacy earlier this year.

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