President to attend UN General Assembly this month

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will attend the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s 76^th session, scheduled to open on September 14 in New York, United States, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said in a statement.

The general debate is to take place from September 21-27.

This is President Rajapaksa’s first address to the UN General Assembly and also the first foreign conference he is attending outside of the country, the PMD added.

During the visit, the President will hold bilateral discussions with several heads of state on a number of areas including economic, education and agriculture.

Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, Principal Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage will accompany the President during the visit.

It is noteworthy that the President has decided to undertake the visit with a minimum number of delegates in line with his principles and after taking into account the current situation in the country. This will be the smallest Sri Lankan delegation to attend the UN General Assembly in recent history, according to the PMD.

First Lady Ioma Rajapaksa will join the visit at her own expense, the statement said further.