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Updated September 28th, 2021 at 11:07 IST

No one from Afghanistan, Myanmar addressed UN General Assembly | Here's why

Myanmar’s UN ambassador Tun was appointed by the deposed government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and Afghanistan's Isaczai by the ousted Ghani administration.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
Afghanistan
IMAGE: AP/Twitter/@KaungHt73576326 | Image:self
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No representatives from Myanmar and Afghanistan addressed the world leaders at the 76th United Nations General Assembly despite a discourse scheduled initially for the last day of the General Debate on Tuesday, September 28. The diplomats from both the countries, marred by violence and political turmoil, withdrew their names due to competing claims over the UN seats of Myanmar and Afghanistan as the former ruling governments were ousted ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). 

Myanmar’s current UN ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun was appointed by the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained by the Junta officials after the latter seized political power in an unlawful military coup on February 1 this year. As Noble Peace Prize Laurette Suu Kyi’s administration was deposed, Myanmar’s military Junta appointed Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, in a letter to the United Nations asked for the replacement of Moe Tun’s UN accreditation. 

Lwin requested that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appoints Aung Thurein instead as Myanmar's UN ambassador in the letter obtained by The Associated Press. Myanmar’s Junta official stressed that the UN ambassador "has been terminated on 27 February 2021, due to abuses of his assigned duty and mandate.” The controversy ensued after Tun made an impassioned UN General Assembly speech in February appealing for “the strongest possible action from the international community” to restore democracy in Myanmar and oppose a coup that toppled Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party.

“We will continue to fight for a government which is of the people, by the people, for the people,” Tun said in a speech that angered Myanmar’s Junta that has been making attempts to oust Tun.

Junta leaders asked the 193-member General Assembly is in charge of accrediting diplomats to remove Tun with immediate effect. But as the request first goes to a nine-member credentials committee, which includes the US that refused to recognize Junta after the coup, the military's previous attempts dramatically failed. 

Taliban pressurized diplomat over UN seat 

Afghanistan’s Ambassador Ghulam Isaczai, who was scheduled to address the United Nations General Debate withdrew his name ahead of the session. He was appointed the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations by the ousted Afghan government under the now exiled President Ashraf Ghani’s rule. After the Taliban laid siege on Kabul, the latter has been pressurising the diplomat to vacate the Afghan seat for a Taliban government appointee instead.

Earlier last week, the Taliban nominated its Doha, Qatar office spokesperson Suhail Shaheen as an ambassador to represent Afghanistan as it requested UN Secretary-General António Guterres for an address to the world leaders at the UN assembly, the Associated Press said in a report published on September 26, “[The Taliban] argue they have all the requirements needed for recognition of a government. The UN has effectively responded to the Taliban’s request by signalling: Not so fast," the agency revealed. 

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Published September 28th, 2021 at 11:07 IST

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