Macron will miss the UN General Assembly due to busy schedule

French President Emmanuel Macron will not attend the UN General Assembly meeting in New York due to a busy diplomatic schedule. reports Politico.

“Macron is not alone. Other heavyweights also do not appear at the global diplo fest,” the publication notes.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Indian President Narendra Modi will also miss the meeting. Thus, given the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, only one leader from the five countries with permanent seats on the UN Security Council will be present at the meeting – US President Joe Biden. Politico suggests that because of this, his speech will likely attract even more attention than in previous years.

According to the publication, Macron has problems with the schedule, since he will be hosting the British King Charles III, whose visit has already been postponed once due to unrest in France. Keir Starmer, leader of Britain’s Labor Party, is also planning to meet Macron in Paris next week. This coming weekend, the French President will receive Pope Francis in Marseille.

“Sunak’s absence is even more surprising given this will be his first General Assembly since taking office last October. However, Sunak and his Conservative Party have been trailing in the polls lately, a sign of upcoming election challenges and an increased focus on domestic affairs,” Politico writes.

On September 15, it became known that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will take parte in the UN General Assembly. He will meet with “world leaders and senior officials” and will also take part in a debate at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Russian delegation will lead Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He will take part in the general political discussion and a number of bilateral meetings and multilateral events