United Nations, Apr 1 (PTI): New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during his first-ever visit to the United Nations headquarters here.

Guterres welcomed Mamdani Tuesday morning at the UN headquarters and thanked the mayor “for the outstanding relationship and support received from the host city”, a readout of the meeting issued by the secretary general’s spokesperson said.

“Noting the critical role that cities play in today's world, the Secretary-General discussed with the Mayor how to deepen the cooperation with the city of New York. The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing the dialogue between the United Nations and New York City,” the readout said.

In comments to UN News, Mamdani said "We are so proud to be the host city of the United Nations, and we're proud at what it represents, which is the fact that we are part of something larger than just ourselves.

“This is a city where more than three million New Yorkers were born outside of this country, myself included, and the United Nations is something that we are proud to welcome each and every day, and we're excited to continue that partnership,” he said.

Mamdani said it was his first visit to the UN Headquarters, adding that “It's beautiful.” Mamdani was sworn-in as New York City Mayor by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at his formal inauguration at City Hall on January 1, just hours after he was administered oath of office by New York Attorney General Letitia James at a private ceremony in an old subway station here, making him the first South Asian and Muslim elected to helm the largest city in the US.

Mamdani’s official residence Gracie Mansion is about 5 km from the UN Headquarters in Manhattan.

Indian-descent Mamdani is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. He was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was seven. Mamdani became a naturalised US citizen only recently in 2018. PTI YAS ARB ARB ARB

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