The UN General Assembly’s high-level week will begin on Tuesday (24) in New York, with the presence of leaders from five continents, but among the most notable absences will be the dictators of China, Xi Jinping; Russia, Vladimir Putin; and Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.
None of the three are in the habit of attending this global diplomatic forum and generally let their respective countries’ foreign ministers address the General Assembly, usually starting on Thursday, after speeches by heads of state and government.
Putin is the target of an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March 2023, which has led him to restrict his travel to neighboring and “friendly” countries – most recently Mongolia – where he is not at risk of being arrested.
In theory, the United States, as it is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which created the ICC, would not be obliged to comply with the arrest warrant against Putin, but, given the geopolitical rivalry between the two countries, a highly unlikely trip by the Russian dictator to New York could result in an arrest.
Mongolia is a signatory to the ICC, but despite demands from the court and Ukraine, it did not comply with the arrest warrant when Putin was in the country.
Maduro also does not usually attend the assembly and this year it is even more difficult for him to do so, after much of the international community refused to recognize the results of the July 28 presidential election, in which he was “re-elected” according to the official results issued by Venezuela’s electoral body, dominated by Chavismo.
In addition, he has a lawsuit against him in the Federal Court of New York and a reward of US$ 15 million for information leading to his capture.
In the case of China, the member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, will participate in the General Assembly session as a special representative of dictator Xi Jinping, whose tensions with the United States have increased in the last two years due to Chinese intentions to annex Taiwan, an American ally.
Another leader who will not attend the summit is King Mohammed VI of Morocco, who this year sent Prime Minister Aziz Ajanuch to deliver the speech on his behalf.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s participation is up in the air after his country launched a major offensive in recent days against southern Lebanon. He has currently postponed his trip for several days, until next Friday (27), and the possibility that he will have to suspend it is not ruled out.
Among the leaders who will make their first speeches at the UN General Assembly will be Javier Milei, President of Argentina, and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, both newly elected.
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