Neither Putin, nor Xi Jinping, nor Maduro will attend the UN General Assembly this year either

United Nations, Sep 23 (EFE).- The High Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly begins tomorrow, Tuesday, and will bring together leaders from all five continents in New York, but Among the most notable absences will be the presidents 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 they usually let the foreign ministers of their respective countries speak at the Assembly, normally starting on Thursday, once the heads of state or government have spoken.

In Putin’s case, he is subject to an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March 2023, which has restricted his travel to neighbouring and “friendly” countries – most recently, Mongolia – where he does not risk being arrested.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is not usually present at the Assembly either, and this year it is even more difficult for him to do so, after a large part of the international community refused to recognize the results of the presidential elections of July 28, in which he was re-elected according to the official results issued by the electoral body.

In China, 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 special representative of President Xi Jinping.

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech to launch the active phase of the “Ocean-2024” strategic exercise in the Pacific and Arctic oceans, the Mediterranean, the Caspian and Baltic seas via video link at the Presidential Situation Center in Moscow, Russia, 10 September 2024. EFE/EPA/ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL

Another leader who will not be attending 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 large-scale offensive against southern Lebanon in recent days that is now resembling an open war. For the moment, he has delayed his trip for several days, until next Friday, and it is not ruled out that he will have to cancel it.

Netanyahu’s appearance is one of the most eagerly awaited in New York after the conflict in Gaza, and now in Lebanon, have captured the world’s attention all year, relegating other conflicts such as the one in Ukraine to near oblivion.

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