To applause and a slight mispronunciation of her name, Aung San Suu Kyi took yet another historic step on Wednesday when she became the first leader of a democratic Myanmar to address the general assembly.
The appearance caps off a grand tour for the country’s de facto leader, which started in the UK and included a stop at the White House with US President Barack Obama, where it was announced that most of the remaining sanctions on Myanmar would be lifted.
In her speech on Wednesday, she spoke about the election in November that brought her and her party to power, but with a forward-looking theme.
“Now once again it is a time of determined hope for Myanmar,” she said.
Suu Kyi turned quickly to the importance of the peace process, a major priority for the new government that formed in April. Last month she held a fresh round of peace talks in the capital.
“The only path that will lead us to our goals is the path of peace,” she said.
She also addressed concerns about how to solve longstanding humanitarian and intercommunal problems in Rakhine State, where Rohingya Muslims and Buddhist live apart. However, she did not use the contentious word “Rohingya.”
“We do not fear international security,” she said, pointing to the advisory commission on Rakhine state chaired by former UN chief Kofi Annan that started working this month.
Watch the full speech here.
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