UN chief to visit Belgium, Russia, Greece

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will leave New York on June 13 for Brussels, Belgium, to participate in the European Development Days before attending an event in Russia and visiting Greece, a UN spokesman has said.

In Brussels, the secretary-general will meet with Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, and a number of commissioners as well as other senior officials attending the celebration of the European Development Days, Europe's leading forum on development and international cooperation, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

While in Belgium, the secretary-general will also participate in an Advisory Board meeting of the Sustainable Energy For All (SE4ALL) initiative, and meet with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, who is one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals Ambassadors, he said.

On June 16, the secretary-general will be in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual international conference dedicated to economic and business issues held under the auspices of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The secretary-general is scheduled to meet Russian President Putin, as well as with other participating senior officials, said the spokesman.

On June 17, the secretary-general will travel to Athens, Greece, where he will meet President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, among others, he said.

He will then go to the island of Lesvos June 18, to meet with refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, as well as local volunteers and authorities, he said.

The secretary-general is expected to be back in New York on June 19.

--IANS

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