World leaders who did not attend the UN session
It is usually hard to imagine any world leader avoiding a major international platform such as the United Nations General Assembly, or UNGA.
Although top leaders such as Donald Trump, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Emmanuel Macron attended the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the absence of several important heads of state surprised many.
Let us look at which world leaders stayed away from this major gathering and why.
Germany: Friedrich Merz
Friedrich Merz, who is serving his second year as Germany’s chancellor, has wanted to increase his presence on the international stage, but domestic politics has kept him busy.
Parliamentary elections were held in three German states in September, and as leader of the Christian Democrats and chancellor, Merz is now amid an intense political crisis. He is staying in the country himself to prevent a possible rebellion by opponents. In his place, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul attended the session.
Italy: Giorgia Meloni
Although Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is in a relatively strong position, she also did not go to New York because she had urgent domestic work to handle. After returning home from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, summit in early July, she said she had to deal with some pending Italian work and domestic matters. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani attended the conference in her place and also delivered a speech.
South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa
After attending the BRICS summit in India, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is now on complete rest on doctors’ advice. He did not attend the UN General Assembly this time for health reasons. Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola attended on behalf of his country.
Egypt: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose country is one of Africa’s largest economies, also did not go to New York this time. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly represented Egypt in his place.
However, al-Sisi’s office did not give any specific reason for his absence. Since 2020, he has never attended this UN session in person.
Nigeria: Bola Tinubu
The reason for the absence of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, leader of another influential African country, is his vacation. Since late August, he has been spending holidays in the United Kingdom and France. His country’s vice president, Kashim Shettima, is representing the country fully.
India: Narendra Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not very regular at UN General Assembly sessions. He last spoke from this stage in 2021. Since then, the world’s largest democracy has regularly sent Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. According to Indian media, Modi’s name was expected to be on the speakers’ list this time as well, but his plans were ultimately changed.
China: Xi Jinping
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s absence has generated considerable discussion internationally. Although he is present in the United States, he is not joining the UN session in New York. Instead, he has gone on a full state visit to Washington, about 300 kilometers away, where he took part in a White House gala dinner and military parade.
Through this, it is believed he is giving greater priority to bilateral diplomacy among superpowers than to the UN’s multilateral diplomacy.
Russia: Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has always avoided appearing in person on this iconic UN stage. So this time as well, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov represented Russia in his place. Putin himself issued a decree sending him and did not give any reason for his own absence.
Palestinian territories: Mahmoud Abbas
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had long been a regular face at UN sessions. But in Donald Trump’s second term, the United States refused to give him a diplomatic visa. As last year, he was not granted a visa this time either.
Although the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement calls for facilitating the entry of foreign representatives, the US State Department has maintained visa restrictions for members of the PLO and the Palestinian Authority.
Forced by the situation, Mahmoud Abbas addressed world leaders through a video message this time as well, as he did last time.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report