How the 80th session of the UN General Assembly is unfolding — Midweek

Last year, the 79th session of the UN General Assembly was one of the most passive and boring gatherings in the organization’s history. It was remembered only for Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech featuring two color-coded maps and the fact that almost no one remained “in the hall” during his address. However, the ongoing 80th anniversary session in 2025 is proving to be far more eventful. The high-level conference on Palestine held before the main event, during which powerful Western nations finally recognized Palestine as a state, the moment when the Turkish leader’s microphone was cut off as he began sharply criticizing Israel, Donald Trump’s lengthy and disorganized speech at the General Assembly, his talks with leaders of Muslim countries, the disruption of Erdogan’s and Macron’s motorcades due to Trump, Uzbekistan’s highly effective participation, and many other significant and noteworthy developments have marked this session.

Despite powerful nations throwing stones at the UN, this year’s session has taken on a particularly intense character. Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has not attended such a major political gathering for the tenth year in a row — or more precisely, has been unable to attend. Yet, determined not to be left out of the spotlight, the Russian leader issued an important statement a day before the opening of the General Assembly, warning Russia’s adversaries that the country would resist any threats made against it.

Thus, this edition of QALAMPIR.UZ’s Midweek is dedicated mainly to the UN and the events unfolding around it.

Broken escalator and failed teleprompter – Trump’s troubles

The conditions at the UN headquarters in New York turned out to be quite different from those of the White House or Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. The US president encountered several problems there. As he and First Lady Melania were ascending on an escalator, it suddenly stopped. Trump boasted to the audience that both he and the First Lady were still able to stand firmly and had not fallen despite the situation. In his speech at this highly significant political event, Trump also mentioned such trivial matters.

To make matters worse, his teleprompter malfunctioned. The president, who is steering the United States toward autocracy, joked that those responsible for the problem would face consequences. The rest of his speech focused on topics he has been repeating for months — stopping seven wars, errors in migration policy, and the UN’s weakness, among others.

Trump also indulged in his usual fabrications, claiming achievements he never accomplished. The sitting president’s habit of shamelessly presenting false information and entirely inaccurate statistics to the public is now familiar. This time, speaking from the UN rostrum, he declared that the peace achieved during his first presidential term had “collapsed” and been replaced by “major crises.”

“It’s been six years since I last stood in this grand hall. At that time, the world was prosperous and peaceful. The peace established during my first presidential term reigned across two continents. But since then, instruments of war have destroyed that peace, and an era of tranquility and stability has been replaced by the greatest crisis of our time,” Trump said.

Speaking for 57 minutes at the UN General Assembly, he claimed that “open borders” and climate change policies were leading Europe toward disaster. At that moment, his far-right, nationalist stance was on full display. He argued that migrants, as representatives of different cultures and religions, were undermining the culture, economy, and order of host nations. Trump accused Europe of failing to stop mass migration.

The most disgraceful part of his speech came at this point. Trump described the migration crisis using London as an example, claiming the city was now run by a “very bad mayor” and that the British capital was transitioning to Sharia law. Remarkably, Trump made this assertion because London’s current mayor, Sadiq Khan, is of Muslim background. The claim that one of Europe’s most important cities is shifting toward Sharia law is, at best, laughable — but for it to come from the US president is profoundly shameful.

It is true that in recent years, the Muslim population of London has increased significantly. However, suggesting this means the city is moving toward Sharia governance is pure nonsense.

Frankly, Trump could have ended his speech there. However, he went on to address Ukraine and Gaza. Regarding Russian aggression, he repeated what he has been saying for some time: according to Trump, the United States is prepared to impose “very strong tariffs” on Russia, but Europe must first stop buying Russian oil and gas.

The US president also made it clear he was displeased that ten countries had simultaneously recognized Palestine in New York. He described the recognition of a Palestinian state by some Western countries as an “overly generous reward” for Hamas.

Scenes of horror – Erdogan slams Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to New York has been intense and full of debate. Controversy erupted right from his speech at the international conference on “Finding a Solution to the Palestinian Issue and Implementing a Two-State Solution.” As soon as Erdogan began sharply criticizing Israel, his microphone was cut off. Official sources explained this by saying that his speaking time had ended, but the microphone was cut at 4 minutes and 48 seconds — while he still had 12 seconds left. This has left the incident under a cloud of suspicion.

Outside the conference, Erdogan also gave an interview to a US television channel. When asked about Hamas, he stated that he does not view it as a terrorist organization but as a resistance movement. Erdogan often repeats this statement, but it remains notable that, while many states label Hamas a terrorist group, Erdogan continues to defend it.

On September 23, Erdogan addressed the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, sharply condemning the situation in Gaza and calling on countries to recognize Palestine. Displaying images of women and children suffering from hunger in Gaza, he declared that a genocide was being “broadcast live.” As usual, he brought visual materials with him to the podium — a habit common in his speeches at the UN. Notably, these materials are almost always related to Palestine.

Years ago, Erdogan brought a map showing how Palestine, once much larger, had been gradually occupied due to Israeli aggression. This time, he presented images of the horrors unfolding in Gaza.

“The medical infrastructure in Gaza has been completely destroyed. Doctors have been either killed or arrested. The genocide in the Gaza Strip is being broadcast live. Images of innocent two-year-old children without arms or legs have, sadly, become routine in Gaza. In 2025, can there be any rational justification for such brutality? Speaking on behalf of humanity, I say this: this shameful reality has been witnessed in Gaza every single day for the past 23 months,” Erdogan said.

He also noted that hundreds of people, including children, had died of starvation in Gaza. He accused Israel of deliberately killing journalists and civilians. According to Erdogan, it is not others but the Israeli government itself — through its atrocities — that is fueling antisemitism.

“In Europe and America, if a child is pricked by a rose thorn, parents’ hearts ache. But in Gaza, children’s limbs are being amputated without anesthesia. Even as we speak here, Israel continues to kill civilians,” he said.

The Turkish leader added that Israel’s aggression is not limited to Gaza and the West Bank, but extends to Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Lebanon, threatening regional peace. He said the attack on Qatar showed that Israeli leaders had completely lost control. According to him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “interested neither in peace nor in releasing hostages.” Erdogan also expressed hope for a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear program and warned that the region could not withstand another crisis.

Stopped motorcades

In New York, unusual events surrounding the 80th session of the UN General Assembly occurred not only on the podium but also on the streets. Presidential motorcades were at the center of attention. So far, the motorcades of two heads of state have been stopped by city police.

First, French President Emmanuel Macron’s motorcade was halted by police while roads were blocked for Donald Trump’s passage. Macron stepped out of his car and asked officers to let him pass. When they refused, he immediately called Trump and asked him to open the road.

“How are you? I’m waiting in the street. All the roads are closed for you,” Macron said.

A few months ago, reports surfaced that Trump was violating presidential protocol by speaking to other heads of state using his personal phone number — for example, giving his number to Volodymyr Zelensky. The incident with Macron’s motorcade confirmed this. Trump has established direct communication with world leaders on his personal line. Regardless of how he conducts these conversations, Macron was not the only president stopped in the United States.

A day later, New York police again halted another presidential motorcade to clear Trump’s route. This time, it was Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s convoy. Erdogan was forced to step out of his vehicle and wait on the street, surrounded closely by his security team. Unlike Macron, Erdogan did not take the situation lightly — he was visibly displeased.

Ash-Sharaa closes half a century of dark history

Syria’s interim president, Ahmad Ash-Sharaa, attended the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, marking the first official visit to the United States by a Syrian head of state since 1967 — 58 years ago. He was accompanied by four ministers. Ash-Sharaa visited the US to discuss restoring diplomatic relations between Syria and the United States and officially reopening the Syrian embassy in Washington.

On September 23, he held talks with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In his historic address from the UN podium, Ash-Sharaa announced that Syria was abandoning the oppression of the previous generation and demanded the complete lifting of sanctions imposed on the country. He noted that Syria had been under pressure for 60 years, that its population had endured years of suffering and deprivation, and that those who rose up to claim their rights were met with death.

Focusing on regional tensions, the interim president stressed that Israel’s threats against Syria had continued since December 8 and accused Israel of exploiting the transition period to drag the region into new conflicts. On September 24, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and signed a joint statement on restoring diplomatic relations.

Relations between Ukraine and Syria were frozen in 2014 when Syria supported Russia’s actions at the UN following its invasion of Crimea and Donbas. Diplomatic ties were completely severed in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as the Assad regime supported Russia as expected. Ash-Sharaa, however, has sought to correct Assad’s mistakes. In his talks with Zelensky, they discussed prospects for developing cooperation, threats to both countries’ security, and ways to combat them.

Zelensky invites Putin to Kazakhstan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was also busy during his visit to the United States. Notably, he met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, with whom he has recently maintained a positive dialogue. Zelensky commented on the meeting as follows:

“The main task now is to achieve a just and lasting peace with reliable security guarantees.”

According to Zelensky, his talks with Tokayev included a detailed discussion of efforts by the United States, Europe, and other international partners to end the war. He also expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan for supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

During this visit, Zelensky finally gave an interview to Fox News. Previous visits did not include such an opportunity, and the reasons for the cancellation of earlier planned interviews are well known. In the interview, the Ukrainian president spoke about possible venues for negotiations with Russia and said he was ready to hold a meeting in Kazakhstan. He confirmed his willingness to meet with Putin but stressed that he could not hold talks in Moscow, though he remained open to other options. Zelensky added that he was not opposed to holding negotiations in Turkey, Austria, Sweden, or other locations. He further noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin preferred to continue the war rather than engage in talks.

Zelensky emphasized that initiatives for negotiations had been proposed not only by Ukraine but also by US President Donald Trump, European leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to Zelensky, Putin seeks to expand the invasion and may continue it not only in Ukraine but also in other regions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the Kazakhstan proposal, noting that Zelensky had previously proposed many locations, but they were all “completely unacceptable” to Russia. For example, he described Switzerland and Austria as “not de facto neutral.” He also reminded that Putin had proposed holding a meeting with Zelensky in Moscow at the beginning of September, calling the Russian capital “the best place” and guaranteeing Ukraine’s security and all necessary conditions. Peskov said that calls to hold the meeting elsewhere were “excessive demands.”

During his visit, Zelensky also had a brief conversation with Trump, during which the former US president criticized Russia.