Palestine's Abbas in New York for takeover of G77 chair

　　Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) shakes hands with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during their meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

　　UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in New York on Monday for a takeover of the chairmanship of the Group of 77 (G77) developing countries.

　　Abbas is expected to attend a ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday for the handover of the G77 chairmanship from Egypt to Palestine for the year 2019.

　　Upon arrival in New York on Monday, Abbas met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Guterres congratulated the State of Palestine for assuming the G77 chairmanship and expressed his wishes for a successful year for the group, said Guterres' press office after the meeting.

　　Guterres reiterated that the two-state solution is the only viable option to sustainable peace in the region, said the office.

　　The G77, which got its name from 77 founding members, is a group of 133 developing countries at the United Nations. China aligns itself with the group, whose aim is to promote collective economic interests of the members and to try to have a bigger say in the world organization.

　　Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (4th R) meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (2nd L) at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

　　Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (C) meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (not in the picture) at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

　　United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres checks his phone prior to his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)