Advertisement

Friday slate features China, Venezuela, India, Pakistan, Bahamas at U.N.

By Nicholas Sakelaris

Sept. 27 (UPI) -- The world leaders who will speak at the United Nations General Assembly Friday include China, Venezuela, India, Pakistan and the Bahamas.

Delivering their address to the 74th General Debate in the morning session are, in order, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Alexander Minnis, Chinese President Xi Jinping and possibly a representative from Russia.

Advertisement

The afternoon session will include speeches by Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez Gomez, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Friday's addresses begin at 9 a.m. EDT.

Xi will likely raise the U.S. trade conflict, after U.S. President Donald Trump accused Beijing in his speech Tuesday of flooding the market, stealing intellectual property, subsidizing businesses and engaging in unfair trade practices. Trump and Xi have been embroiled in a tit-for-tat tariff dispute for more than a year.

Russia is still listed on the official U.N. schedule for Friday, but it's unclear who, if anyone, might speak on Moscow's behalf. President Vladimir Putin is not attending the General Assembly, nor is Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro -- both of whom met in Moscow Wednesday. U.S. officials denied travel visas earlier this week for Moscow's delegation of seven diplomats and three lawmakers who were planning to attend.

Advertisement

"The situation is alarming and certainly unacceptable," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "This is a direct violation of Washington's international obligations because this is not a bilateral visit, this is a visit by Russia's delegation to the U.N. General Assembly."

Speeches from the leaders of India and Pakistan, two decades-long rivals, are expected to generate some controversy -- particularly given India's recent revocation of autonomy for the Kashmir and Jammu regions. Modi and Khan are expected to speak about the territories, which have been a regional flashpoint.

India revoked the special status of Kashmir and Jammu last month, which led to a security crackdown and communications blackout. The escalation between the two countries carries worldwide implications because both have nuclear weapons.

"He expects the international community to respond in time before there is a catastrophe," Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told Voice of America.

The Bahamian prime minister's address comes amid catastrophic damage in the island commonwealth from Hurricane Dorian -- a Category 5 storm that battered the islands for about 30 hours.

Speaking for Venezuela, Rodriguez Gomez's address is expected to be controversial as Maduro's administration is not even recognized by the United States and several Western powers.

Advertisement

The Assembly will also hear from the leaders of Malaysia and Bangladesh, which have been ensnared in a major humanitarian crisis for more than a year, involving the Muslim Rohingya. Thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh due to what the United Nations recognizes as a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Latest Headlines