Fifteen hours later, Mavi's Bombardier Global Express landed safely and smoothly at a New York airport. During the flight, Yuna had briefed him on the entire process and essential information for the upcoming UN meeting. He also learned which countries were Russia's allies on the international stage, such as Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, and would likely support them. Unfortunately, other nations were mostly either opposed to Russia or sided with the European Union. Mavi felt a bit helpless about the situation, as he knew the Russians were so blunt that many countries weren't keen on befriending them.
"Mr. Mavi, there are only six official languages used at the UN: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish," Yuna explained to him in their chauffeured car.
As of 2002, the UN had 191 member states. To facilitate communication, the UN Secretariat had a massive team of nearly a thousand translators.
Interpreting required intense focus, as a single mistake could lead to a significant misunderstanding. Therefore, during meetings, each language had three interpreters who would take turns translating, listening to the speeches through headphones. Each seat in the hall had a set of headphones that provided six channels of simultaneous interpretation, allowing delegates to choose their preferred language. It was a very well-thought-out system.
An hour later, as Mavi's motorcade entered the east side of Manhattan, a vast, modern building complex gradually came into view. This was the UN Headquarters, an international territory spanning 17 acres.
The 39-story slab building had a greenish-blue glass facade and a distinctively rectangular, matchbox-like shape. In front of the building stood over 190 flagpoles, flying the flags of the 191 UN member states. The main flagpole displayed the blue and white UN flag.
Looking at the UN Secretariat building in front of him, Mavi felt as if this moment was a dream come true. He never imagined that he would one day be attending a conference at the UN. It was a bit overwhelming.
"Mr. Mavi, the long building next to the Secretariat is the Conference Building, which houses various meeting rooms. Connected to it is the General Assembly Hall, where all the voting meetings for UN member states are held," Yuna explained in great detail from inside the car.
Mavi was representing Russia's image today, so it was crucial that no mistakes were made, or the embarrassment would be immense. He understood this perfectly and listened intently throughout the briefing.
Ten minutes later, Mavi's motorcade pulled up in front of the UN building. After passing through security checks and identity verification, they finally entered the international territory.
Because Mavi's cars were flying the Russian flag, his presence drew curious stares from other delegates who were also attending the meeting.
As he and Yuna walked from the car to the conference hall, he noticed that many people were looking at the Russian delegation with a strange, unreadable expression.
Mavi immediately understood why. It was all due to the 270 "ballistic missiles" that Russia had launched at France and South Korea a few days prior, an incident they had yet to clarify. This had made some countries suspicious.
Yuna, walking beside him, also noticed the looks but seemed used to it. After all, Russia had few friends and many enemies internationally.
"Mr. Mavi, the conference hall is right ahead. This is the eleventh emergency special session. The last one was held five years ago," Yuna said. This particular session, the eleventh, didn't exist in the previous timeline.
In the past, the UN had only held ten emergency special sessions to discuss issues like the Middle East, Hungary, Congo, Palestine, and Namibia.
Mavi nodded, and at that moment, he could hear a buzz of noise coming from the entrance of the conference hall. He knew the room was already filled with delegates from various countries, ready to engage in a fierce and pointed debate about Russia's alleged violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Half a minute later, as Mavi and Yuna appeared at the hall's entrance, hundreds of delegates in suits turned their heads to look at them.
The pressure was palpable. These were not just any people; they were influential figures in their respective countries.
"Mr. Mavi, our seats are over there," Yuna whispered to him.
The seating arrangement for delegates was based on the alphabetical order of their country's English name and rotated annually. Observer seats were on the left and right sides of the front, while the upper two levels in the back were for the press and the public, respectively.
Following Yuna's lead, Mavi took his seat in the Russian delegation's section. He looked up at the main stage in front of him, where the President of the General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General, and the Under-Secretary-General would soon be seated to preside over the discussion regarding Russia's 500-kilometer short-range missile issue.
The main stage was built of gray-green marble and had three seats: the President in the middle, the Secretary-General on the left, and the Under-Secretary-General on the right. Below the stage was a podium made of black marble with a golden UN emblem on the front, giving the whole area a very solemn appearance.
Mavi could feel the unfriendly gazes from the delegates around him, especially from the opposing nations like France and South Korea. They seemed to hold a grudge against Russia and would likely be the first to attack them when the meeting began.
Just as Mavi was sizing up the situation, he heard a stir at the entrance of the hall. He turned to see three middle-aged men in black suits appearing with an air of authority.
These were the hosts of the emergency meeting: the President of the General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General, and the Under-Secretary-General. As the three men walked leisurely to the stage, they nodded and smiled at the delegates.
As they passed the Russian section, they almost simultaneously turned their heads and glanced at Mavi.